


Twilight-esque

by pepgold



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Empathic Power, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating has changed, Sharing a Bed, Trans Male Character, Twilight AU, lol please trust me, meet cute but he's a vampire, original art included, sparkly vampires - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-04-06 06:21:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14050845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepgold/pseuds/pepgold
Summary: Even from far away, the elf was beautiful. Golden hair, long tanned ears, a pastel color palette to his clothes that Kravitz, frankly, was surprised to be into. He couldn’t measure the exact slope of the elf’s nose or the color of his eyes from here, but wow. He was gay.Kravitz shook his head, he really didn’t have time to wonder about beautiful, sparkling elves. The sky was mostly grey out, but the whole group had had… the barest glimmer about them. Maybe they just hit the highlighter too hard, but honestly, Kravitz could get into it.





	1. ONE

**Author's Note:**

> so here we are! i accidentally accrued some hype on this already and i hope i don't let y'all down  
> have fun with me in this space!!

Kravitz had never given much thought to how he would die. But dying in place of someone he loved seemed like a worthy reason to go.

 

He’d never  _ been _ in love, though, was the thing.

 

He wasn’t sure he’d know it when he felt it. If it’d be this big revelation like in the movies, or a quietly burning wick that snuffed out the uncertainty in his heart. Kravitz didn’t put all that much weight on the concept of falling in love, especially now that he was going to college. If it was going to happen, it’d happen, and, well. He’d figure it out when he got there. But.

 

There was a part of him, a part that he recognized as selfish, that wanted to save somebody. He wanted to be the reason someone else could thrive, even at his own expense. It was a nagging thing that he knew he couldn’t act on, would never have a real reason to. To be a martyr was a stupid aspiration, and he pushed away that urge quietly.

 

He was moving, mostly for the college thing, but also because of the thing where his dad was going to start cross-country road-tripping in a van. Something about seeing all of the natural beauty he could before he died, even though he wasn’t about to keel over or anything. Kravitz figured that it was something Pan had wanted to do for some time, but waited until Kravitz was done with high school to do it.

 

His mother lived in a little college town up north, and it was only convenience that had him choosing to go stay with her while he took his first year or so of classes. He wasn’t a big fan of cold weather, or the moisture, but the quietude of small-town life seemed like a nice change of pace. And he hadn’t gotten up to see his mother much at all since he’d grown up enough to tell his parents that he didn’t  _ want _ to waste his summers in a lukewarm drizzle. Kravitz felt bad about that, now.

 

The flight up wasn’t very exciting. His dad saw him off at security, all big warm hugs and smelling like flowers (and weed). His mother picked him up at the airport, not half so warm, looking vaguely uncomfortable in her work uniform. Antinea Raven was the chief of police, and she hadn’t really ever lived with him past the age of three. As far as he knew, she hadn’t really lived with anybody after that.

 

She’d supported him, though, in a lot of quiet ways. When one summer he came to visit sans the skirts and floral prints his dad had dressed him in as a child, explaining through nerves that he wanted to be called Kravitz, she had only hugged him and said  _ of course _ . They had argued about many things over the years, but never about that.

 

Today, as they sat in silence while she drove them back to her house (it hadn’t changed in the years since he’d been back), Kravitz wondered what he was doing here. Everything was grey and dark green. His personal aesthetics might finally match the natural lighting, but it still felt so quiet here, in spite of the staticy classical radio spilling from the dashboard.

 

There was a vehicle in the driveway already when they pulled in. He didn’t know whose it was, but he knew  _ what  _ it was. It was a goddamn hearse.

 

“Did somebody we know  _ die?”  _ Kravitz asked, unbuckling his seatbelt and giving the whole… everything a wary look.

 

“I, um. Well. I thought you might want to be able to get around town without me, so,” His mother, a verified badass, looked embarrassed.

 

“So you got me a  _ hearse _ to drive around town…?” His voice softened a little, but he was still incredulous.

 

“It was cheap! The engine and everything was all replaced by a girl at the station who seemed to know what she was doing,” Kravitz mouthed  _ seemed to _ at her as she continued, “And they drove it over here just fine.”

 

 

Kravitz turned to run a hand over the side of the monstrous car. People here probably shouldn’t see him pull up and  _ immediately _ think goth, but. The part of him that loved wearing black in spring also loved the idea of owning and driving a deathmobile.

 

“Alright. Okay,” Kravitz said, holding his hand out for the keys. She passed them to him. “After careful consideration, I think I love it? Thanks, mom.” He unlocked the door and hopped in, checking out the radio situation. It had an auxiliary cord jack, so even if nothing else worked, that’d be fine. The seats were leather and barely smushed down by the previous owners. If it had been cheap, it had probably only been cheap because it was literally a death car.

 

“I’ve got Hurley’s number if anything goes wrong, she said we shouldn’t hesitate to call. She and her girlfriend live down by the school, so you might see them there before the car blows up.”

 

Kravitz nodded, adjusting the mirrors. They’d been pointed down for someone much smaller than him. Hurley was probably a dwarf or halfling or something, or a very short human.

 

“I think it’ll probably be alright,” Kravitz said, trying out the engine. It didn’t even sound rickety. He’d have to take it out for a ride later, just to get a feel for parking and corners and whatnot. It wasn’t like it was a big rig, but his old car had been a beetle, and the size difference was pretty big. Kravitz turned the engine off and hopped back out, going to retrieve his bags from the back of his mother’s police car.

 

“Glad you like it,” she smiled, helping him with his luggage. He’d really only brought clothes and electronics, leaving most of his other worldly goods at the house that he and his dad were both going to be out of for a while.

 

He wandered upstairs, to his old room. Sort of his new room, now. The wall art hadn’t changed, it was all crayon doodles and certificates from elementary school. Some of them had the wrong name, but he didn’t have to look at those. Maybe he’d find something new to put on the walls.

 

“Got you some fresh sheets,” his mom offered from the door, setting down the boxes she’d brought up. “Let me know if you want help clearing stuff out. I never knew what you’d want and what you’d want to get rid of, so I just… left it.”

 

“It’s fine,” he said, waving her off, “I’ll take care of it. Is there still a clothing-donation spot by the school?”

 

“Mmhm, but if it gets dark, best wait til morning. Or let me take you in the car. Crime’s ticked up a little at night, lately.”

 

Kravitz frowned, more at the assumption that he couldn’t take care of himself than anything. He’d been in a medium-big city before, nighttime crime wasn’t anything strange, but he couldn’t imagine anybody hanging out in an elementary school parking lot would be a threat to him. Especially if he drove up in his new fuck-off hearse.

 

She didn’t explain any further, patting his shoulder awkwardly and going back downstairs. Maybe to cook? Kravitz hoped not, unless she’d been taking lessons.

 

He dug through the dresser first, because having somewhere to put his clothes (besides loose in a sack) was important. He tossed any and all pastels immediately into a  _ donate  _ pile, and checked all the pants to see if anything still fit (they didn’t). Most of the clothes were no good, which made sense. They’d fit when he was twelve, and even then he hadn’t liked very many of them. Kravitz thought it was a little sad that his mom had all of this stuff just… set aside for him. He folded away his clothes and cleared out most of the closet, too. A couple of hopeful old dresses went into the pile, and all of the shoes (save some tiny ones from when he was like, four, that were too cute to get rid of).

 

When that was all done, he shoved the clothes in a bag to take away in the morning. He had to go make sure he was all set up for classes, too, so it wasn’t going to be a hardship to make a trip to the school then, instead of now. It was dark out, and, well. He chafed at the idea that he couldn’t handle himself, but his mother wouldn’t make something out to be a threat if it was nothing.

 

Dinner was, blessedly, something you could buy in the freezer section at the grocery store. He took his portion back up to his room, because they didn’t usually eat together at a table unless they were eating out. The room still didn’t feel like  _ his _ so much as… a place that he was allowed to be. He’d get it warmed up somehow, turn it into home.

 

In the morning, he went out to drop off the clothes without any problems, managing to steer the hearse into the elementary school parking lot with minimal trouble. The thing didn’t handle super well, but it definitely drove. He used an app to navigate through the little country roads toward the college campus, and, okay, he needed to park in one of those longer spots. They didn’t really have any of those near the front of the lot by the administrative building, so he parked a ways away. This was his life now, Kravitz guessed.

 

Kravitz got himself checked in, chatting minimally with the counselor who’d set up his classes. There’d be a certain amount of makeup work, but not too much. He could handle it. He was in an art history class, which he didn’t think he really needed, but he did need elective credits, and none of the music classes he wanted had any open spots.

 

When he started to leave the building, he caught sight of some people meandering across the quad, casual and chatting amongst themselves. Two elves and some assorted humans: a huge dude, a slightly smaller dude, and a very tall woman. He couldn’t help looking at the elves, and then at one particular elf, if he tried.

 

Even from far away, the elf was beautiful. Golden hair, long tanned ears, a pastel color palette to his clothes that Kravitz, frankly, was surprised to be into. He couldn’t measure the exact slope of the elf’s nose or the color of his eyes from here, but wow. He was gay.

 

Kravitz shook his head, reminding himself that college was for  _ learning _ and not for dating, probably, mostly, and headed back out toward the parking lot. He’d have classes tomorrow, and needed to buy some textbooks and notebooks. He really didn’t have time to wonder about beautiful, sparkling elves. The sky was mostly grey out, but the whole group had had… the barest glimmer about them. Maybe they just hit the highlighter too hard, but honestly, Kravitz could get into it.

 

He climbed up into the driver’s seat, glad that he backed into a spot in the back of the lot, now that he was leaving (backing the thing up was a trial).

 

Kravitz went shopping for his supplies and just kept having to remind himself that he didn’t move to a new town just to find a boyfriend. If he went to class and did well for a couple of semesters, then  _ maybe  _ he could reward himself by dating a boy. He wasn’t even sure the elf  _ was  _ a boy. He found himself deciding that it really didn’t matter. His preferences were satisfied by this very pretty elf, in every way that mattered.

 

Kravitz wondered if he’d have to highlight his own face to join their club, and then realized that was a dumb thought. Whoever they were, they’d all been walking together like best friends, like family or something. He wasn’t going to be able to infiltrate a group like that, even if he longed for friends. He wasn’t  _ actually  _ at school to make friends either. Kravitz frowned as he pulled onto the road again, bags of nice pens and overpriced textbooks weighing down the passenger seat.

 

“Got everything worked out at the school?” His mother asked at dinner, this time takeout from the one place still open after she left the station. Kravitz had snacked on crackers like a grown man who didn’t want to go get his own dinner.

 

“No problems. I’d already done all of the applications and financial aid paperwork, so it was really just showing up.”

 

“Mm,” she hummed an affirmative. His mother wasn’t really very talkative, but she tried. Their silences were often uncomfortable, but this one was pretty companionable. Just eating and being in each other’s presence, way later than normal people ate dinner.

 

Kravitz went to bed thinking of that elf, and wondering if he’d ever had a crush so stupid.


	2. TWO

Taako was definitely not meaning to pay attention.

 

His family was radiating their usual friendly waves of bullshit, and like, he tuned everything out as much as possible, from them and from the general populace of the school. Everyone on campus was either stressed or horny, or both, and it was a mood... but not one that he needed to have constantly invading his mind.

 

But, unfortunately, he was paying just enough attention to notice a pang of _want_ from across the way. He glanced up just in time to see somebody new, someone he hadn’t seen before, start to turn and walk away. Taako could see his face just fine, and that face was _fine._ The cheekbones alone were something he could get lost looking at. He bumped into Magnus’s back and stumbled.

 

“What’s got you distracted?” Lup wondered out loud, immediately. Because somehow, even without any kind of mind-reading powers, she always knew what he was about. It drove Taako crazy.

 

“Nothing, just a weirdo with weird emotions.”

 

All four of them hummed in understanding, and it was aggravating to know that they all just understood, intrinsically, that it was some hot boy. Fuck.

 

If they already knew, though, he was allowed to keep watching a little. The small but crystal-clear image of the disappearing figure had his attention, walking back toward the edge of the lot. Taako barked out a noise of disbelief as the guy stepped into a _hearse_. What kind of goth nerd was this new dude? Like, honestly, he dressed more like a vampire than any of his real, actual vampire family did.

 

The only one of them that wore any black on a regular basis was his sister, maybe followed by Lucretia. Magnus tended toward undersized polos and bad camo patterns, and Barry was the token bluejeans kid. Taako liked colors, but especially springy and bright ones. Dressing like some kind of cartoon dracula asshole was not his purview. He could wear whatever the fuck he wanted, but. Man. The black jeans on that ass were really doing it for him.

 

This was fine.

 

He didn’t have to act on anything, literally couldn’t act on it if he wanted to. Taako hadn’t exactly meant to become a fucking _virgin vampire_ or anything, but his options, now that he _was_ a vampire, were very limited. He could see something with Magnus happening, maybe, but genuinely, his options were not good. And they didn’t go to a lot of vampire fucking mixers (the kind of mixers for vampires who fucked, obviously). Showing up with golden eyes when most of the other fanged-fellas were going to have red ones seemed like a bad plan, anyway.

 

Taako watched the guy pull away and sighed, reigning in his echoed pang of longing. Dude was really far away and, at least until he’d gotten into the car, the weak pulse of his emotions kept reaching out to Taako. It was a pretty unsettling feeling. He usually got to just turn it off, if he wanted it off.

 

He turned it off, now.

 

The next day, Taako ‘ate lunch’ with Magnus, because they had an extended period of free time in the middle of the day due to being really good at shit like… avoiding schoolwork. They weren’t really eating anything, because eating was gross. (Taako _really_ missed eating.) But they had some napkins and plastic cutlery to make it look like they’d maybe already finished eating something. They hung out and were, sure, both kind of bored and lonely. Magnus was better at hiding it, somehow, all smiles and big hugs. Taako did his best to embrace the stand-offish persona people projected onto him.

 

He didn’t need extra things to do, besides. Taako took like three classes a semester, and that was _fine_ . Even at his snail’s pace, he’d still managed to finish a couple of degrees. Not everyone in the family needed to be Doctor ( _times seven_ ) Barry Bluejeans. Even Lup was a doctor a couple of times over, now, the traitor. Like hell was Taako ever going to be that much of a nerd, he was fine just being Taako, thanks.

 

Magnus felt kind of similar, Taako gathered, but more because Magnus wanted to go into sports or something. He was endlessly complaining about how Dav and Merle wouldn’t let him take any sports classes. They’d relented and let him take archery this year, after he promised to _try_ not to break any equipment. Even then, Magnus was on thin ice. If he didn’t at least pretend to enjoy school, Dav was liable to make him get a real job.

 

They didn’t need the money, even with two part-time and three full-time college tuitions to pay. Lucretia was very, very good at investments, and there had been a lot of time for Merle to save up unnecessary wages before any of the rest of them had come into the fold.

 

Taako went to class the next day, and it was a dumb class, for sure, but he could bullshit it pretty easily. He’d taken it already at least once. Taako set down all of his shit: backpack, ‘notes,’ pens for ‘notes.’ And then there was a smell.

 

Humans already smelled pretty good most of the time: hazards of the job, he guessed. But this scent was a lot to handle.

 

He glanced back, trying to be subtle about it, and _of course_ that handsome guy from the day before was in class with him, _super cool_ _._ It was just Taako’s luck.

 

He inhaled a deep breath, annoyed but self-indulgent, and let it all out. He wanted to suck this dude dry, and that was… that _was_ a bad thing, he guessed. But Taako didn’t really have it in him to feel bad about it. He wouldn’t act on it, obviously, he didn’t want to deal with the fallout from his family over that. He wouldn’t eat anybody. But. He closed his eyes and took in another breath.

 

This was going to be a problem.

 

He spent the whole class period looking at the back of the guy’s head, drawing anxious doodles without really looking at them. This had never happened to him before. He’d never… he’d never smelled someone who was like the perfect blood cocktail, whipped up just for his tastes.

 

 

He’d also never felt someone’s lust pointed in his direction, like the day before, and thought _Yeah, same._ It was heady, an overwhelming idea. It wouldn’t be that hard to seduce this guy, to convince him to go somewhere dark and quiet, and maybe they could actually make out first? And then Taako could bite his neck and it would be everything he wanted.

 

Taako shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn’t know how to deal with this. He could ask Lup, but Lup was stuck in pining hell with Barry. She wouldn’t know anything about anything. Merle was the only one he knew had some experience in that department, in wanting to be with a mortal, but hell if he was asking Merle anything about that. Gross.

 

But. He forced himself to take in the non-Taako-related emotions coming off of the guy. Boredom, tired, a little bit of anxiety, a lot of _Ready to go home already_. He couldn’t… he couldn’t just do this, couldn’t let himself. This guy didn't need to die.

 

He needed to get out of this class somehow.

 

Somehow, mercifully, the class did end, and Taako managed to not explode for fidgeting in his chair. He really badly needed to figure this out. Go home and not eat anybody, and not jerk off on the idea of eating anybody, and not tell anybody about how this one random new classmate was affecting him. They hadn’t even said hello to each other. He didn’t know a _name_.

 

Taako packed up his things, useless doodles getting shoved loose into his bag. He pointedly ignored everyone who walked by him up the aisle, head ducked down. He could probably just not breathe. He didn’t actually need to breathe, right? But it was a habit he didn’t know if he could quash, and also it might be creepy to the people around him if he never took a breath. So that wasn’t going to work, on the not-smelling-him front…

 

He got up and pushed a hand back through his hair. The only other person still walking out was the person he _least_ needed to be alone with.

 

They still didn’t say anything, but he could feel the anxiety kick up a little bit in the air between them when they started walking in the same direction out of the classroom. _That’s right_ , Taako thought, _Be creeped out, stay away, change classes, pack your bags and move away._ He stopped and leaned against a tree, watching that perfect ass walk the rest of the way toward the parking lot. This time, the hearse was expected, but still so bizarre and upsetting. How could someone just casually drive something like that to school? Taako was a literal monster and _he_ didn’t understand.

 

He couldn’t sleep anyway, because he hadn’t been able to sleep for the last _fifty fucking years_ , but sat in bed all night thinking about that beautiful jerk in his stupid hearse. This was absolutely going to be a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol some chapters might have more than one pic but for now, my commitment to y'all is that i'll try and have at least one pic per chapter. we'll see.
> 
> i've got through... chapter 6 done ? i think? more or less  
> i'm really glad for the warm reception for this dumb, dumb sparkly au. you guys make my day, honestly!!
> 
> i was going to try and sit on chapters longer, since i don't have that many done, but at the same time... you know me lol
> 
> comments and kudos are very appreciated!! i love you, have a great day or night <3


	3. THREE

Kravitz’s days were becoming ever-so-slightly more interesting. Not too much so, but he was looking forward to classes now. Like, it was silly, but he wanted to meet that elf, and maybe get to know him? If possible?

 

He’d done some recon work, asking around to see if anybody knew anything about them. Nobody would tell him their names, but everyone told him that the elf’s little friend unit was a  _ family _ , not just friends. They didn’t look related, though, as far as Kravitz could tell. But not being related didn’t make you not a family. (And, at the very least, the elves  _ did _ look related. The one that he wasn’t infatuated with was still beautiful, but with curled hair.)

 

So he went to classes, like undergrads did.

 

He had a PE class, just one because it was mandatory to have one for his degree, and he’d taken Archery because he wouldn’t have to change clothes for it. He was surprised to see the tall and broad member of the elf’s family here. He was able to learn Magnus’s name easily enough, because the instructor kept yelling it.

 

Magnus was only kind of okay at aiming the bow, but for what he lacked in finesse, he was over-making-up-for in power. Kravitz overheard mutterings about this being the fifth bow he’d snapped this semester, and the semester had only started a few weeks ago. What was this guy made of, if he was  _ accidentally  _ breaking these things?

 

One of the arrows found home, but went all the way through the foam target and lodged itself in the wall. There were a few more that hadn’t hit the target on the way, but had also gotten stuck in the wall. When Kravitz looked, the wall seemed to have freckles for all of the tiny holes, but only near the target Magnus was using.  _ What the fuck? _

 

Kravitz hadn’t ever shot an arrow in his life, but was surprisingly alright at it, once the instructor had a minute to come teach him where to pull the string to, how to figure out which eye was dominant, the stance. He didn’t get any in the very center, but his cluster was closer to the middle rings than the  _ wall _ .

 

Magnus came up to say hello after class, “You’re new, right?”

 

“I prefer to be called Kravitz,” Kravitz snorted, putting his bow back on the rack.

 

Magnus laughed, “You’ve got jokes! That’s great. Hey. Kravitz, you oughta show me how to shoot good.”

 

“Today’s literally the first day I’ve ever tried this, Magnus, I don’t know what I’m doing,” Kravitz confessed, and then gave Magnus’s shoulders a thoughtful glance. “You’re really built for like… any other sport, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

 

“Yeah,” Magnus said, and looked wistful, then blinked out of it. He clapped a hand on Kravitz’s back and Kravitz stumbled forward, barely catching himself from landing on his knees.

 

“S-see you around, then, Magnus,” Kravitz managed, feeling scarily winded.  _ Honestly, what was this guy made of? _

 

“Seeya, Krav!” Magnus said, the lost look from before replaced with cheer.

 

Maybe he had an in, in Magnus? Probably not, though.

 

He ate lunch alone, after another class, and outside he spied Magnus and the elf sitting on the far side of the quad. They looked like they were having a good time, talking and gesturing with plastic forks. Kravitz didn’t see any food containers or plates, but maybe they’d gotten like… a hotdog? But then, where did the forks come in… He shook his head. The mysteries of what his new crush and scary maybe-friend were something he could work out another time.

 

He did watch them, though. His eyes weren’t good enough to really make out the details, but he’d seen the elf better in class, if out of the corner of his eye. He could guess at how the freckles on his cheeks might move as he talked. Kravitz knew he was thinking a little too hard about them, about these pretty people who were apparently not just a clique but a  _ family. _ There was no way he’d be able to worm his way in there.

 

Kravitz had finished his sandwich already when the first raindrop fell on his nose. He glanced up at the angry clouds (and the transition from the usual overcast to  _ angry _ was not to be ignored here, he was learning). Everything happened very fast: there were a lot of students spread out on the grass, and then there was everyone packing themselves up and hustling into the buildings. Kravitz noticed the elf and Magnus failing to get up in any hurry. Maybe they didn’t mind getting wet. Kravitz, however, had the circulation of a lizard, and knew that if he got drenched, he’d never get warm until he’d sat in front of a heater for an hour.

 

He rushed into the building that had his next class, the one with the elf in it. He knew that by staying in this class, he was going to slowly torture himself, but it was fine. Nobody needed to know that he was brooding the whole time while he took notes. Thinking about how it might feel to have a specific someone kiss his neck, or unbutton his collar.

 

Every now and then he’d hear a rustle of agitated paper from behind him, and know that it was the elf. Maybe he was having a hard time understanding the concepts in this class? Kravitz couldn’t relate, he understood it all easily enough even with his attention scattered.

 

Gods, he wanted to know the elf’s name so bad. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t asked Magnus about it earlier. Kravitz wanted a name to go with the beautiful, if moody, face. The other students also kept glancing at the disruption, looking surprised, so maybe he wasn’t always a mess. Kravitz couldn’t find it in himself to mind the little paper-crumpling outbursts in the middle of the powerpoint they were supposed to be watching.

 

He glanced back more than once and caught the elf looking at him, too. Kravitz felt his cheeks heat up and turned away, embarrassed for being caught looking. But. Maybe that was mutual? He couldn’t dare hope.

 

After class, the elf once again waited a minute before packing up, and Kravitz was emboldened by the idea that maybe,  _ maybe _ , the elf was interested in him in some way, too. In any way. Hopefully in the same ways Kravitz was interested in him?

 

He raised a hand, “Hello, I’m Kravitz.”

 

And the elf looked up at him with the widest, most startled eyes. They were dark, and Kravitz felt a little bad for spooking him. His hair was still a little wet, but it looked good. It was weird how good he looked, for having been in the rain earlier. He didn’t even look cold.

 

 

The elf didn’t say anything. He opened his mouth like he might want to say something, and then closed it. He scrambled upright, not having folded up the chair’s built-in-table, snatching his backpack and clambering over the back of the chair onto the next row of seats. And then the elf was bolting up the stairs and out of the lecture hall. Kravitz frowned up at his retreating figure.

 

He’d maybe picked a bad object for his affection, he guessed. The elf was so, so incredibly beautiful up close. Kravitz was pretty sure the elf was a boy, but honestly, as gay as he was, he’d still consider this elf a catch regardless. But, pretty didn’t mean  _ sane _ and he wondered if this guy was alright in the head.

 

Kravitz leaned over to check out the papers left on the little half-desk. Most of them weren’t even notes, and a couple of the papers were wadded into balls so tight, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to pry them back open. At least one was a doodle of… something. If Kravitz was flattering himself, he thought it might be… like the back of his own head? But it wasn’t very well-defined, he couldn’t really be sure. He carefully folded that drawing and put it into his bag, and then wasn’t sure why he’d done it. Either way, the elf was long gone, and he wasn’t going to know his name today.

 

He went outside, getting smacked by a drip of rain that’d collected on the roof, and wasn’t surprised that he couldn’t see the elf anywhere in his periphery. Even if he’d run, he shouldn’t have gotten out of sight without going into another building. Kravitz sighed.

  
“What’s his  _ deal?” _ he asked himself, under his breath. This elf was really cute, like just… stunningly pretty, and Kravitz was getting the impression that on top of that, the elf was also  _ an asshole. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kravitz u cant just say hi!!! don't you know _taako will explode if you get too close???_ lol
> 
> thank you guys again for the sweet and funny comments!!  
> honestly i will probably have to slow down updates again because i haven't had a lot of time to write in the last few days. . . rip
> 
> have a greaaaat rest of your day! or night! i love you  
> (if you can send some healing vibes my way, i'm immortalizing here the fact that _i can't outdrink malevolentmango,_  
>  it turns out)


	4. FOUR

Taako hid in his tree, the one he liked best. It was wet up there from the rain, but at least he wouldn’t have to deal with  _ Kravitz _ in any capacity. He watched Kravitz walk out of the building, watched him look around and his lips move, heard with his keen hearing  _ What’s His Deal?,  _ and watched him leave campus.

 

He couldn’t do this.

 

Taako forced himself to slow down to acceptable human speeds as he crossed the quad to the administrative building. He needed to get out of this class. Desperately. All of class he’d gotten wave after wave of longing and curiosity and attraction off of Kravitz, and all of class he’d felt his own stupid heart echo the sentiments.

 

He hated that he knew Kravitz’s name now, because it meant he had too much information. He felt exposed, even though he knew the empathic link only went one way. Like maybe Kravitz  _ knew  _  that he felt the same. That he was just as interested. Taako bit his knuckle just hard enough to feel a sting of pain (so:  _ pretty hard _ ), walking into the counselor’s office.

 

Taako was seen in and he explained, as calmly as possible, that he had a conflict with his schedule, and wanted to move to a different art history class. The counselor typed something, peered into the computer screen, and then declared that there wasn’t another art history class.

 

_ Then I’ll just drop it! What the fuck!  _ Taako thought wildly, and then remembered. Davenport insisted that he take at least three classes a semester, and he couldn’t really pick up a new class right now. Or, he could, but fuck. Alright. Shit.

 

“Thanks,” he said shortly, taking his leave of the counselor’s office. He really was fucked. He could just stop coming to school, but that would only last so long with Merle and Dav coming home and knowing he hadn’t left.

 

For some reason, and Taako really did not get it, they thought it was useful for everyone to be social with mortals.  _ We’re not like them, anymore, but we need to remember why we’re doing this. _ And by  _ this _ they meant  _ not eating people _ . Taako thought they could probably get by by being a family of hermits, but knew that they probably were right. He’d be bored out of his skull at home all day, especially without napping and without cooking. He could watch TV or something, sure, but. All day and all night? Taako would lose his mind.

 

The boredom of academia was the price he paid to have somewhere to go during the day. He could get a job or something, and maybe one day he’d get sick of carrying a backpack and go that route, but… right now, this made sense. And he didn’t want to leave the nerds to their books solo, or Magnus, to go fuck off doing whatever else on his own. (He didn’t actually know how Merle could stand to go work at the hospital during the day or be on call all night, and be away from everybody. Taako needed his family like he needed… well, not to breathe. Like he needed the occasional deerfull of blood.)

 

He couldn’t leave the class the right way, then. Fine. Okay. Whatever.

 

Taako walked out of the building and sighed deeply, a performative thing, and Barry was right there. For some reason.

 

Barry frowned at him, “Something wrong, Taako?”

 

“No, definitely not,” Taako started, but Barry had that look on his face like he was just going to humor Taako with whatever bullshit he said. But that Barry knew it was bullshit. Okay.

 

“Is it really that bad, man? Like, the smell, or the thoughts, or what?”

 

“Bear, I love you, but I hate this. I can’t talk to you about this, and I won’t.” Taako stalked off and didn’t look back, taking in the wave of  _ pity _ from Barry with a curl of shame. He didn’t need Barry’s pity, he didn’t need Barry’s advice.

 

But now his cover was even more blown than before. Taako was eternally grateful that there wasn’t anyone else in his family who read minds or anything, because somehow they always knew what he was up to, but they didn’t need to know how deeply he was being affected.

 

He went home, and resolutely locked his door even though anyone in the house could easily break it open or come in through a window. He didn’t want company. He didn’t want  _ anything. _

 

 

Barry came by later to knock and remind him that they’d been supposed to go out hunting that night, and when Taako didn’t answer, Barry left. And then Lup came and picked his lock. She took one look at him, wrapped up unnecessarily in covers on his unslept-in bed, and sat down next to him.

 

“Are you okay?” she asked, after a long while of quiet. She’d started finger-combing through his hair, and he’d felt himself slowly relax into the sensation.

 

“No,” he admitted, quietly.

 

“Do we need to go away, Taako?”

 

“N-no,” he curled in tighter, leaning into her, “It’s not… I just need to stay away from school for a bit, I think.”

 

“Is it that boy?”

 

Taako didn’t answer, even when she tugged a lock of hair a little bit. She braided his hair and tied it with the hairband on her wrist, patting him on the back and getting up. She didn’t really need to stay up all night researching, but chances were that she was going to write some bomb essay for a class that didn’t deserve her. It wasn’t like she needed to go hunt again right away, she and Lucy had gone out together a couple of nights ago. Her eyes were bright gold still, and kind, when she left him alone.

 

He hated that she was pitying him, too. Nobody needed to feel sorry for him, he’d figure something out. Taako couldn’t go make out with a human any more than he could bite into his neck. He couldn’t do anything to Kravitz, even if he desperately wanted to.

 

Taako just needed time to think, needed time away. He’d listen to music in his room and read books and, uh, draw? He’d keep busy, and then go back to classes with a doctor’s note from Merle. A forged one if Merle wouldn’t write him one. They had a different last name, so he didn’t think the teachers would notice that this was the doctor who lived with him, anyway.

 

He sketched faces that made him mad to think about. Maybe mad wasn’t the right word. They made him feel sad. They weren’t quite right, weren’t exactly Kravitz’s face. He hadn’t let himself look at the boy straight on for very long, the slope of his nose wasn’t right. He couldn’t remember how many piercings went on his round ears. He could remember the dark eyes and darker hair, but he couldn’t remember how many eyelashes lined his eyes. A scary part of him wanted to know how many there were, to study him so closely as to count. Taako shoved the sketches into a desk drawer, annoyed with himself for drawing them but not wanting to trash them.

 

Taako googled Kravitz’s name.

 

That was maybe a mistake, because there were obviously a lot of people in the world with that name, and he didn’t have a last name to go with it. He wasn’t sure that ‘Kravitz’ wasn’t actually his last name, either. He sifted through the search, sighing at the wrong wrong people.

 

And then one of them was the right one. Taako froze mid-scroll, and looked at it. This was… not how Kravitz looked right now, but maybe only a few years old. He was a little softer, and with braces on, and Taako let himself study the face and then got mad at himself again. Taako  _ could not _ be doing this. He didn’t have a plan for how to deal with this situation at all, but like, pining wasn’t going to fix anything.

 

He pulled out his sketchbook again though, and a charcoal pencil, and started sketching. It still wasn’t perfect, because this was a younger Kravitz (and it reminded him, painfully, of how mortals  _ aged _ ). But Taako was very good at drawing, he’d had a lot of time to get good at it, and he had something that looked… right. He set this one more gently into the drawer.

 

He was an elf, of course. Elves lived longer anyway. He and Lup might have looked like this after fifty years of regular living, too, but right now… right now he was just going to be stuck. He was going to live this undeath until he starved or was killed. He’d always look 20, whether he wanted to or not. Their covers were never going to be blown by he or Lup, at schools, because they weren’t the only elves who would just learn and learn. But they did have to move at least once a decade for their human family members. It was too obvious that Magnus didn’t change whether he was working out or not, didn’t ever gain the laughter lines that he rightfully should, for all the smiling he did. Lucretia’s hair was already white, but it she’d never grow into anything old enough to match. Barry… was a little older already, but in some ways that just made it more obvious. Merle and Dav were less conspicuous, like the elves, but. They’d all probably have to pack up and move again in a couple of years.

 

And in a couple of years, Kravitz wouldn’t look like Kravitz. Maybe it’d take more than a couple. It might take twenty or fifty, depending on whether he had any longer-lived blood in him (maybe  _ that  _ was why Taako’s mouth watered near him). But eventually, he wouldn’t look right anymore. Taako didn’t know why that thought made him sad.

 

And then Kravitz might die. And the thought of that was worse, somehow, than if Taako just murdered him now. Maybe it was because Taako was imagining him living to grow old, but alone. Because Taako wouldn’t be there with him, couldn’t. That was a selfish thought, and he knew it, but he didn’t really care. If Taako wasn’t going to have him, he didn’t think anybody else should either.

 

Taako sighed into his hands and decided to curl up in bed again. He couldn’t sleep, but closing his eyes still felt good. The softness of blankets and pillows was still comforting, even if his body heat left something to be desired. He’d think about going hunting later, with Magnus, and be less hungry. Maybe he’d feel better.

 

But he really doubted it. This sucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy taakitz week! i didn't put anything together for it except continuing to work on this, haha, but i'm having fun with the festivities <3
> 
> HAVE A GREAT DAY AND THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT........ i feel blessed every day for the comments and kudos.


	5. FIVE

Two weeks went by without the elf coming to class. Kravitz was concerned.

 

He didn’t know how to ask anybody, though. The professor didn’t seem to care that there was a missing head in class, and Magnus didn’t seem to act like anything was wrong. Kravitz caught Magnus watching him more often in their shared archery class and wondered why.

 

It took days for him to work up the nerve to go up and talk to any of the elf’s family. He caught them all walking toward a shared car and waved a hand at them as he approached. Magnus waved back, ever-friendly.

 

“Hi, um,” Magnus was still waving as Kravitz broke in, suddenly nervous about the number of golden eyes staring him down. He saw something like a resemblance, now. “Sorry to bother you, but is your friend alright?”

 

He had something like a staring contest with the elf girl. Her gaze slowly went from intense to scary to uncomfortable. Kravitz fought the urge to just walk away as seconds ticked by.

 

Mercifully, her disdainful expression cracked, and she smirked at him. He didn’t relax, but he felt less like running. “Why, pray tell, are you worried about my brother? Who are you?”

 

Magnus started to interrupt, but the taller girl put a hand on his arm to quiet him. Kravitz was glad to have at least one of these intimidating people  _ maybe _ on his side.

 

“I’m Kravitz, and, well. He hasn’t been to class for a couple of weeks, now. If he’s just skipping… that’s fine, but I was just concerned that he was ill.”

 

The girl, the sister, tilted her head at him, and the two quieter humans exchanged a look. Kravitz wasn’t sure why they’d be  _ suspicious  _ of him, but that’s certainly the way they were acting. She finally smiled, “Mmm, yeah, no, he’s super sick! But I’m sure he’d love to hear from you, did you want to make him a card or something?” Her eyes were dazzlingly bright.

 

“I, uh… I didn’t have a plan, but,” Kravitz was starting to regret everything, but now he at least had a line of discussion with this family.

 

“Here’s our address,” the girl said, definitive, as she snatched Kravitz’s phone from his pocket and somehow unlocked it, typing an address into the search bar. “I’m absolutely positive that he’ll be happy to see you. You should come by. It’s not contagious.”

 

Kravitz accepted his phone back and nodded dumbly.

 

When he pulled up the long, long driveway leading to the house on the address, Kravitz wished he hadn’t come. It was such a big, beautiful house. Like… nestled amongst pine trees, raised up, huge glass windows with warm lighting… It looked so nice.

 

It was a mild comfort to see that the car he usually saw Magnus and them driving in wasn’t here, so maybe he’d just get to see the elf on his own. Actually… that wasn’t so much of a comfort, now that he was thinking about it more clearly. Kravitz picked up the warm thermos he’d brought and got out of the deathmobile. Time to be brave. Maybe the elf really was going to need this soup, and he could be of help, and it would be great.

 

He knocked, and then hesitated. Maybe he should’ve rang the doorbell, a house this big…

 

The door was one of the only solid-wall surfaces in the downstairs, though, and he couldn’t see through it to know if anybody was coming. He hadn’t noticed anybody in the living room on his approach, either, so… Kravitz waited for another couple of minutes before reaching up to the doorbell.

 

He stopped, because the door opened. He hadn’t heard it unlock. He guessed… if you lived out in the country, you didn’t need to lock your door. And besides, nothing was going to stop someone from breaking a glass window wall to get in, if they wanted to steal something.

 

Kravitz was stalling, internally, because the face that greeted him wasn’t one of a very sick elf. It was one of a very scared elf. Stricken, even. Again, his eyes looked wide and nervous, and Kravitz watched his gaze dart around like he was expecting some kind of trap. Kravitz coughed awkwardly.

 

The elf’s eyebrows drew down as they made eye contact, and then he coughed too. Like a very shitty, fake echo of Kravitz’s throat-clearing cough.  _ Why? _

 

“I brought you this. Your… your sister said you were ill.”

 

Again, the elf looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Did he really hate Kravitz so much? It was messing him up a little to think that he’d already blown it with this gorgeous person. Up close, even though the expression was obviously not a sweet one, Kravitz had to resist the urge to try and count the freckles across his nose. He could see now that the elf’s eyes were still dark, almost black, and wondered why they weren’t golden like his sister’s. He thought he’d remembered them matching, before.

 

 

“I’m,” the elf started, and Kravitz blinked, forcing his eyes away from his lips. He’d gotten distracted watching them try to say something. “I’ll go to class, tomorrow, okay. Uh. Bye.”

 

And the elf reached out to snatch the soup thermos from his hand before closing the door. Kravitz frowned at it. He’d technically gotten what he wanted, but he had more questions than he’d expected. He went back to his car and got in, carefully turning around so that he could drive out facing forward, instead of trying to back up down an unfamiliar winding driveway.

 

So: he still didn’t know the elf’s name, because he was an idiot who didn’t know how to ask at this point. He didn’t think the elf had been sick at all, either. As fake as his own cough had been, the echoed cough had been even worse. Like the imitation of someone who’d forgotten how to cough. Weird. Kravitz eyed the mailbox at end of the drive before turning out onto the highway. There were a few names on it:  _ Burnsides, Highchurch, Davenport _ but somehow he didn’t think any of those belonged to the elves. He knew Magnus was Burnsides from their class together, anyway. Another mystery.

 

And the eyes? Changing color? He wasn’t entirely sure about elven physiology, but it was strange that Magnus and their other human friends had  _ also  _ seemed to have different shades between one interaction and another. He hadn’t been close enough to anybody but Magnus to really notice, either way. He wished that the other students at school weren’t so tight-lipped on names. Maybe they didn’t know their names either?

 

A final, and most strange mystery: he’d felt the elf’s hand brush his own when he took the thermos from Kravitz, and. It was shockingly, freezingly cold. He wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he knew that wasn’t an elf thing. That shouldn’t be a  _ living creature _ thing. He probably should have been scared, but until he knew  _ of what _ he wouldn’t… he wouldn’t get too worked up about it.

 

He went home, and considered googling things like  _ cold hands  _ and  _ golden color-changing eyes _ and  _ lots of highlighter _ but. What was that going to get him?  _ Poor circulation  _ and  _ colored-contacts _ and  _ makeup tutorials _ . It was fine. He… he didn’t need to worry about this.

 

Kravitz did his schoolwork with a sigh, and then laid in bed and couldn’t help himself. He thought of those eyes, frozen like a fight-or-flight response was kicking in, and thought… Kravitz desperately wanted to soothe him. To calm him down and hold his face and kiss him. He sighed into his pillow and reminded himself that he wasn’t going to date anybody, much less a beautiful elf that hated his guts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol i had a pic ready for next chapter but not for this one!! that feels like a problem im going to keep accidentally having, whoops
> 
> krav you gotta ask people's names, you gotta.............. (it's ok he'll learn it) (soon)
> 
> i love y'all and hope you're having a nice day <3


	6. SIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise, double update! make sure you read chapter 5 first if you didn't already lol

Taako went to class. He did not bring the thermos back. It had smelled like the garbage soup that had been in it, and so he threw it away. Gross.

 

But he knew… that the intent behind the soup had been concern. He thought he might have known that even without the cheating power of his empathy. He couldn’t really… get too mad that it had been soup from a can, over-salty and under-good. He hadn’t even considered actually drinking it, but the scent alone had him wanting to try and teach Kravitz how to make a real soup, a good one. For himself. Not… not for Taako. Even if he made something for Taako, what would be the point? He’d just gag on anything that wasn’t blood.

 

When he walked into the lecture hall, having breezed through his other class of the day earlier, Taako took a deep, unnecessary breath, and went to go sit down next to Kravitz. Time to face the music, or whatever, right?

 

Kravitz looked surprised to see him.

 

“I said I’d come to class,” Taako said, in a more lazy tone than he felt.

 

“I didn’t really believe you,” Kravitz admitted.

 

Taako tapped his fingers on the armrest, unfolding the little lapdesk from it to give his hands something to do, “So. I’m Taako.”

 

“Like the food?”

 

“No, like me, asshole. Did you want to get to know me or not.”

 

Kravitz bit his lip and Taako’s eyes were drawn to it. Fuck. Okay, he needed to not get too wrapped up in anything just yet. He took a deep breath and sighed, forcing himself to associate the scent that was  _ Kravitz  _ with comfort instead of… greed. It was so strong, sitting this close to him. He could feel the concern and confusion and  _ again with the attraction _ spilling out of Kravitz.

 

“I want to know you,” Kravitz admitted carefully, and Taako smirked. But then class started. And Kravitz stopped talking to Taako about Taako, because he was actually taking down a notes and outlining and being a good student.  _ No! _ Today was Taako’s time to be brave and actually interact and maybe he could kiss Kravitz and… this sucked.

 

He kept scribbling little notes like  _ What’s your last name, Kravitz?  _ and  _ Why did you come to school like a month into the semester?? _ and finally  _ What the FUCK is with the hearse, my dude??? _

 

 

Kravitz kept not answering the messages, or even looking like he read them, and it Taako was dying by the time class was over. He’d started drawing little doodles again, but this time of him smacking Kravitz on the arm, or pulling his hair. It was petulant, but felt good for some reason, especially with the expectation that Kravitz could look over and see what he was drawing this time. Much better than the drawings of the back of Kravitz’s head. Those were somehow more intimate, more specific, conveyed… something pathetic that Taako was tired of retreading.

 

He was here, wasn’t he? He’d showed up and now he was going to see what the  _ fuck _ this was going to be. And Kravitz ignored him the entire time, until class was over, and then started laughing as he looked over the various papers on Taako’s desk.

 

“Don’t know what’s so funny,” Taako muttered.

 

“You know it’s you,” Kravitz wiped an eye. Taako watched the motion again, wondering when the last time he cried was. Could he even cry? It had been a long time.

 

“I am pretty funny,” Taako admitted lamely. He started to pack up but Kravitz took the papers. “Are you going to answer any of my questions, fella?”

 

“Mmm, which ones were important to you?”

 

“Name is a good one,” Taako murmured, putting away his pen.

 

“Kravitz Raven,” he said, and Taako felt his lip turn up. Funny name. “Are you going to tell me yours?” Kravitz asked.

 

“Mm, it’s not important,” or, rather, he and Lup had left their name long behind. On the official paperwork this time around, they were adopted siblings of Magnus, specifically, so Burnsides was embarrassingly written on a couple of his degrees. It was fine.

 

“Then I’m not telling you about the hearse,” Kravitz announced. He’d gotten everything tucked into his jansport. Taako was met with the inexplicable urge to steal his backpack. It wouldn’t even be hard… but to what end? He did not steal Kravitz’s backpack.

 

Taako followed Kravitz out of class, “Listen…” When they were outside again, Kravitz stopped by the tree Taako liked. Taako swallowed, looking for words. “Sorry for ghosting before, I guess. I don’t know. It’s dumb.”

 

Kravitz seemed to mull this over for a minute, leaning against the tree. “Did you skip classes just to avoid  _ me, _ Taako? All I did was say hello.”

 

“It’s complicated.”

 

“Dumb and complicated,” Kravitz echoed.

 

“Mm,” Taako hummed. He couldn’t really tolerate standing this close, with Kravitz looking at him so directly. It was overwhelming, the feelings pouring off of Kravitz. Even when Taako tried to close them off, to stop accepting new visitors to his brain, they kept working their way in. Kravitz was still concerned, but also  _ relieved _ and  _ happy  _ and presumably he was happy to see Taako. It was a lot. He swallowed again, dryly, wondering if he could make a play at kissing Kravitz now. It was absolutely too quick and there wasn’t any lead up and-- no. Even though he knew Krav would be into it, because he could  _ feel _ that coming off of him too, he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t trust himself to not just go too far, here, out in the open. Ruin his pretty gold eyes with red, ruin the pretty boy with his inability to control himself.

 

“So you’re not going to explain,” Kravitz prompted.

 

“Not yet,” Taako frowned, pushing a hand through his bangs, “Maybe… maybe later.”

 

“Alright,” Kravitz smiled, indulgent. This guy was too much.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

 

“Next class ain’t tomorrow, bubala,” Taako reminded him.

 

“Mm, but I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kravitz agreed.

 

Taako watched as Kravitz left again, tugged on a lock of hair to try to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, even though he hadn’t slept in literally 50 years. 

 

The next day, Taako was wary. He half expected Kravitz to show up at his house in the morning, but that didn’t happen. He went to his classes and then went to eat with Magnus, but Kravitz was there instead of Magnus, at his tree. With what looked like a lunchbox. Ah.

 

“How’d you know I was going to be here?” Taako asked, suspicious.

 

“You always eat with Magnus around now. I’m usually…” he pointed to a building, “Usually, on Fridays, I’m eating up near my next class, but I can see you from there.”

 

“Hm,” Taako glanced up at the window. It had to be pretty thick to block out Kravitz’s apparently creepy stalking emotions, what the hell. Then again. There were a few creepy things Taako had considered doing, vis a vis Kravitz. Turnabout was fair play, he guessed.

 

“You’re never actually eating, though,” Kravitz said, thoughtful. Taako stared at him, willing him to please, please not fucking press into that bruise of a topic.

 

“I eat before this time, actually,” Taako said, breezy.

 

“So you already ate?”

 

“Y-yeah,” he chewed on his lip.

 

“Well, I’m going to eat,” Kravitz announced, sitting down in the grass.

 

Taako awkwardly sank down to join him. He wasn’t sure what this was. A date…? He hadn’t really agreed to a date, but at the same time… he was breaking a lot of the rules he’d already set for himself, what were a few more? With long term exposure to Kravitz’s scent and thoughts, maybe he’d be able to actually… he looked at Kravitz’s lips as he ate. Food was so weird, now.

 

“Do you cook?” Taako asked, after a minute. A little curl of embarrassment from Kravitz.

 

“I’ve never been very good at cooking,” Kravitz confessed, “I bought most of this premade.”

 

“That’s a goddamn crime,” Taako frowned. “What the actual fuck.”

 

“I never needed to know! Or, like… I know how to do some things. My dad taught me how to make a few edibles…? If I had the pot. But. I don’t know, I’m not actually into that.”

 

Taako snorted, “So what, you know how to make pot brownies, but not regular brownies? Kravitz. That’s so stupid.”

 

“Well,” Kravitz said, in lieu of a defense. Taako leaned forward and started rummaging through Kravitz’s lunch bag, pulling out a little hummus dip-cup thing and shaking his head.

 

“Do you know how cheap and easy it is to make hummus at home, my dude? For the price of a couple of these things, I bet you could be in hummus for a month.”

 

“Okay, but are you going to show me how?” Kravitz laughed, “Because I genuinely don’t know how to do that.”

 

Taako started to agree, but thought better of it, handing back the cup and watching Kravitz eat it. It was really, really frustrating to not be able to appreciate food anymore. He felt like he still understood, intrinsically, how food worked. What spices and what techniques and everything… but it’d been a long time since he let himself cook anything. All he could manage was to make something and then throw it away.

 

“I’m a little rusty, but,” Taako ventured, “Maybe we can sneak into a culinary classroom and I’ll… show you something? I don’t know.”

 

“You know more than me.”

 

“That’s probably true,” Taako murmured, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. There was something disgustingly fascinating about the process of chewing.

 

They sat quietly for a few minutes. Taako still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing. He wondered where the hell Magnus was, and let his power spread out a little further than Kravitz right in front of him. Somewhere behind him and to the left, pretty far out, he sensed a vague sense of  _ mischief _ from Magnus. That tracked.

 

“You still didn’t explain about the hearse,” Taako pointed out. Kravitz was starting to consolidate his trash as he finished his meal.

 

“Not sure you’ve earned that information, Taako,” Kravitz snickered. Taako felt a thrill rush through Kravitz, and then it rushed through him.

 

“How am I earning… things?” Taako asked, vague enough to keep certain activities on the table for future… reasons.

 

“Come to class, for one,” Kravitz rose. “Maybe give me your number?”

 

Taako laughed, helplessly. Kravitz had a fucking  _ death wish _ and it was going to kill him.

 

“What if I don’t have a phone?” Taako demanded.

 

“You definitely do,” Kravitz shook his head, “I’ve seen you playing on it.”

 

“I, uh. Fine.” Taako held out his hand for Kravitz’s phone, making a grabby motion, “Lemme do it, or you’ll spell my name wrong.”

 

He considered actually putting his name into the phone correctly, but instead just wrote “...you know ;)” and handed it back.

 

Kravitz grinned, even with the dumb name, and sent him a text.

 

Unknown Number:  _ So I’ll just spell it like the food, I guess! _

 

Taako added him into his phone, and replied.

 

...you know ;):  _ its t a a k o if you call me taco this is over before it begins _

 

Hot Boy:  _ Oh, so something’s beginning? _

  
Taako glanced up at Kravitz, who smirked at him and waved, walking away.  _ He was so fucked _ , but Taako looked down at the phone again and grinned. He couldn’t believe that Kravitz liked him, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally krav knows taako's name
> 
> revs the engine on this fic lol
> 
> <3


	7. SEVEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> waaaarning we're not quite to M territory but we will be pulling into that station in ~four or so chapters ? spoiler alert lol  
> just like in Tripped, i'll probably switch the rating on the fic the first time someone says anything more sexy than like an innuendo or allusion to something, and i'll warn in the beginning notes when stuff is gonna go down, and anything plot or character development-wise that happens will be recapped in the end notes.
> 
> the goal in starting with a T rating isn't to trick anybody, and i want people who are looking for T-rated experience to still be able to read without having to read M or E rated content that they didn't sign up for.
> 
> that said there is not sex in this chapter i just thought i'd warn y'all a few chapters in advance

Kravitz went home and hid under his covers for ten minutes before pushing them back and taking a breath of cooler air. He couldn’t believe that he’d managed to flirt in any way, much less pull off looking smug about it. And he’d  _ gotten Taako’s number _ . Who said dating was hard?

 

Now, he still didn’t know what Taako’s fucking  _ deal _ was. Clearly he had some kind of deal. A worse circulation issue than Kravitz’s, if nothing else. His cup of hummus had been kind of room temperature in the lunch bag, but when Taako handed it back it was chilly.

 

Maybe magic…? Kravitz wondered, but that was so stupid. Magic was long dead, or wasn’t ever real in the first place. It was a story for kids, like legends and stuff, but it wasn’t  _ real. _ Everybody knew that fairy tales weren’t real. So. His new friend-not-boyfriend was not, probably, some sort of ice wizard. But what was his deal, then???

 

He couldn’t get Taako off his mind at dinner, either, and at the diner with his mother he asked, “Do you know anything about that… um… that family out in the woods?”

 

“You’re going to have to be more specific. We’re a family out in the woods, technically, dear.”

 

“Right, well. The ones who are up towards the mountain. A bunch of college students? I assume there’s a parent involved, but I haven’t met them.”

 

“Oh, huh. Highchurch’s kids.”

 

“Sure,” Kravitz chewed on the corner of his lip.

 

“They’re alright folks, I guess, but… I dunno, are you hanging out with them?” His mother looked concerned about that for some reason, and Kravitz wanted to know  _ why. _

 

“I have classes with two of them,” Kravitz said, because that much was true. His phone weighed heavy in his pocket, with the possibilities of this maybe-thing he was going to try and have with Taako.

 

“I’d steer clear of being too close, I guess. It’s not like they’re bad kids, but their family… it’s weird? I see Highchurch sometimes at the hospital, and he seems very… strange. I don’t know how to explain it.” She shook her head.

 

Kravitz bit his tongue on the  _ but they seem nice, and also very pretty _ that threatened to fall out of his mouth. If his mother wasn’t particularly a fan, then it wasn’t like she needed to know about anything just yet.

 

The next day, Kravitz lazed in bed after waking up, the sun already pretty high. He didn’t have any weekend classes, but he did have some schoolwork he could stand to catch up on. The backlog of assignments from before he started. He shot Taako a text.

 

Hot Boy:  _ Hey, what’re you up to? _

 

...Taako:  _ im just uhhhh hangin _

 

He’d changed Taako’s name to be his actual name, but left the ellipses. He’d refrained from adding a heart or a sparkle (or a sparkle heart). For now.

 

Hot Boy:  _ I was going to do schoolwork but I keep thinking about you? Very distracting. _

 

Kravitz didn’t get any replies for a few minutes, and reluctantly did start on his work. He got through an assignment or two before another message came in.

 

...Taako:  _ can i come over _

 

Hot Boy:  _ Um, do you know where I live…? _

 

...Taako:  _ dont worry about that uh _

 

Hot Boy:  _ I’m just doing work, Taako… we could work together, maybe. _

 

...Taako:  _ ok cool just a sec _

 

Kravitz frowned at the phone. It was a small town, for sure, but he didn’t like the idea that Taako somehow knew where he lived. He knew where Taako lived because his sister had shared that information with him. He guessed people might know where Chief Raven lived, and draw the line between he and his mom, but that seemed a little extreme.

 

Then again, a lot of things about Taako seemed more than a little extreme.

 

He heard a car pull up outside, and peeked out the window to see a different car than the usual one Taako’s family carpooled in. This one was sleek and the kind of pink that stood out against the grey of the street. It was kind of an eyesore, but felt very Taako. Taako was also dressed very vividly, again, but Kravitz was growing more and more fond of his eclectic sense of style.

 

(Admittedly, since moving here, Kravitz had gone for a lot of cozy and dark-colored clothes, rather than trying to dress up at all. He was in college, he was allowed to wear sweaters and jeans.)

 

He went downstairs and counted himself lucky that while  _ he _ had nowhere to be on a Saturday, his mother was out at work. He opened the front door and Taako was already there. He hadn’t knocked or rang the doorbell.

 

“Hi, handsome,” Taako said, and Kravitz flushed a little.

 

“So… you came over immediately. It occurs to me that you didn’t  _ need _ to do that.”

 

“Just wanted to see you,” Taako said, glancing over Kravitz’s shoulder into his house. Kravitz bit his lip and sighed. It was good to see Taako, even if honestly this was a little much. He knew the drive from Taako’s house took longer than that, and yet here he was. Yeah, he shouldn’t… encourage that… even though a small part of him was excited to have Taako so close after texting him.

 

“Right, I forgot my homework,” Taako announced.

 

“You forgot… then really, you’re just here to see me,” Kravitz leaned against the doorframe.

 

“Here’s the thing.”

 

“Uh-huh,” Kravitz said. He didn’t know where this was going, but was tempted to point out that he could have just sent Taako a selfie.

 

“We’re flirting, right? That’s happening?”

 

Kravitz laughed, “Wow, yes, I think so. I was flirting with you, Taako. I don’t know what  _ you’re  _ doing, though, if I’m honest.”

 

 

“Right, right right, okay cool. So you’re interested in me.”

 

_ “I’m not blind,” _ Kravitz said, deadpan, and then snickered.

 

“Okay. Great. Can I come in?”

 

Kravitz balked. Like… again, he wanted Taako to come in, of course he did, because he was gross and wanted to see if his lips were as cold as the rest of him. But this was weird, it was ticking a box in the back of his head that said  _ very fucking weird behavior _ . 

 

So he said, “Um, no, actually.”

 

Taako’s slightly manic expression drooped. Kravitz almost felt bad, but he really couldn’t encourage any of this. He needed to establish some boundaries, even if what he’d just established instead that he found Taako really hot, and that he was definitely flirting with him.

 

“Okay, uh, I won’t come in, but can I have… permission for another time?”

 

“What, like a vampire?” Kravitz laughed.

 

Taako sputtered, and then stared at him.

 

“A joke,” Kravitz offered, “The permission to come inside thing. I’ll… I’ll give you permission at a later date, I’m sure, but not right now.”

 

“A joke,” Taako echoed, expression shifting to something even stranger.

 

Something was very wrong with Taako, Kravitz decided, but knew that he was capable of chilling out and being… less like this. He just needed to make it clear that they had to talk more than three times before Taako could show up at his house for... what Kravitz could only assume was a booty call.

 

“Mmhm, I’m not very funny, but I make jokes sometimes. You’re cute, but you need to calm down, Taako. We’ll get to you coming over, I’m sure, but not today.”

 

Taako looked a little upset, but not too bad. Kravitz took a little pity on him, though, and stepped forward into his space.

 

He decided not to overthink it as he leaned in to peck Taako’s cheek, stepping back, “Besides, if someone invites you over to work on homework together, you should remember the homework.”

 

Taako had a hand up to his cheek, nodded, “I’ll… yeah.”

 

“Have a good evening, Taako,” Kravitz gently closed the door. He didn’t lock it, because that seemed like a very definitive  _ fuck off _ , but he did pull out his phone.

 

Hot Boy:  _ You can text me while I work, though, if you want to. Maybe send me some pictures of your drawings? _

 

_... _ Taako:  _ im not even gone yet but lol fine _

 

Kravitz waited until the car pulled away to go back upstairs and get to work. It was, thankfully, another twenty minutes before he got a picture from Taako.

 

It was one of a flower, sketched in chalk, maybe.

 

Hot Boy:  _ That's pretty. Did you use a reference? _

 

…Taako:  _ these grow close to my house so i just went out there _

 

Hot Boy:  _ Nice. I've never been very good at sketching. I prefer music. _

 

Hot Boy:  _ But I can appreciate good art when I'm looking at it. _

 

...Taako:  _ hm _

 

Kravitz didn't think the texting was going to be any more distracting than if Taako was physically in his room. Now that he was thinking about it, he wasn't sure what he'd been thinking, suggesting that at all.

 

Like, the thing that was scary wasn’t so much how hard and fast his attraction to the elf had been, because he’d had crushes before, things could go fast… but that it really did seem to be mutual.

 

Taako seemed like he absolutely would have been down to come inside and press him into a mattress. And Kravitz almost would have let him, if it hadn't been for that weird energy.

 

He touched his lips lightly, remembering the ghost of Taako's cheek. It had been cold.

 

That really was not… normal.

 

Kravitz decided that he really did need to figure out this temperature thing. He did a search, for  _ very cold skin _ , and scanned through the results. Some stuff about dragonborns in winter, nothing about elves.

 

_ very cold skin elf fast _

 

He felt silly.

 

This time, he got a couple of weirder websites. Conspiracy theories. That seemed right up his alley, in this stupid suspicious investigation. He read through an article on various myths about cold, fast elves. How they had red eyes and drank blood.

 

How it wasn’t just elves that could be vampires, of course, but that yeah, they were definitely real.  _ What a load of crock _ . He read through some of the other pages on the website anyway, one of them mentioning how they didn’t ever eat real food. How they were incredibly strong. How they glittered in the sun.

 

Kravitz glanced at his phone, and the thing blinked with a  message he hadn’t read yet.

 

He made a more pointed search.

 

_ vampires real _

 

He read several corroborating articles, ones that agreed, generally, with the symptoms listed in the first website. That vampires lived forever, that they stayed away from  _ mortals _ when they weren’t murdering and eating them. That one bite would turn you into one, if they didn’t finish the job. Kravitz thought about what he knew, of Taako and his family.

 

They didn’t have red eyes, for one. But they did all have the same eerie shade of gold, sometimes. It was pretty, but very strange for the humans. Magnus looked human through-and-through, and his eyes were just as golden and warm as Taako’s sister’s had been.

 

They definitely weren’t staying away from ‘mortals,’ either. They were right smack in the middle of everybody, a veritable smorgasbord of edible people. So.

 

So surely, Taako was not a vampire.

 

But he had looked really shaken when Kravitz joked earlier… and he’d asked for permission to come into Kravitz’s house several times. That was a vampire thing, wasn’t it?

 

Kravitz clicked the end of his pen, and then picked up his phone to read the message.

 

...Taako:  _ sorry for coming over like that earlier uh _

 

...Taako:  _ i dont know. i got excited i guess. _

 

...Taako:  _ ive never had a boyfriend and uh i know we arent boyfriends but _

 

And then there weren’t any more messages waiting for him. Another one came through just before he could start typing anything.

 

...Taako:  _ we can take it slow if you want but im really into you _

 

Hot Boy:  _ I think we need to slow down at least a little bit. We only just started talking. But. I’m not opposed to having a boyfriend, if you think you can handle it. _

 

...Taako:  _ handle it lol _

 

...Taako:  _ you dont even KNOW babe _

 

Kravitz snorted and set the phone back down, leaning back in his chair. Taako being a vampire, if that was what he was, wouldn’t… it wouldn’t change that much. He hadn’t been too scared off by the elf’s erratic behavior when they’d first interacted. How much worse could it get?

  
And, well, maybe it wouldn’t be more than a hookup, but reading the words  _ inhuman strength _ did some things to Kravitz that he couldn’t repeat in polite company. Even if Taako was only superficially interested in him, that might be okay. Although he had used the word  _ boyfriend _ and it made Kravitz cautiously optimistic. In spite of the fact that he was literally courting someone who was either very sick, or a vampire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> howdyyy i had been about to update last night but by the time i got around to it it was like 2am and i decided to just wait til morning
> 
> thanks to anna for looking over everything for me, lol, i appreciate u.........................
> 
> taako can you just be cool for like two seconds _krav would have probably made out with you if you were cool for just two seconds_
> 
> have a good day!! i traded my day off with someone so i could have been not working today but instead i work today  
> pls send good tourism vibes and also comments, they'll make me live,
> 
> <3


	8. EIGHT

Taako went home after going to Kravitz’s house feeling only somewhat dejected. All things considered, he hadn’t been turned down quite as hard as he felt he should have been. But now he had permission to text with Kravitz for the rest of the evening, and he could brood quietly about it, away from the direct scent and connection to Kravitz’s emotions.

 

He pulled into the garage next to everyone else’s vehicles and walked back inside. Magnus and Lup had watched him go, and were still sitting on the couch to watch him return. Lucretia had come out to the living room and glanced up at him briefly, before going back to whatever she was writing.

 

“How’d it go with the cute boy, bro?” Lup asked, scooting over to give Taako room to sit in between them. Magnus made a tiny effort to squeeze a little closer to his end of the couch too, but he was taking up like half of the thing any way he might sit.

 

Taako sighed, shucked off his flashy jacket, and sat down between them, leaning into Magnus’s beefy arm.

 

“It went okay, considering I showed up at his house like five minutes after he mentioned hanging out. And I hadn’t asked where he lived. He was a little creeped out, so that’s… fair.”

 

“That’s fair,” Lup agreed.

 

Taako pulled out his phone, remembering that Kravitz wanted a picture of something he’d drawn. He sent a picture of a flower that had seemed maybe half as pretty as Krav.

 

“You’ve got it bad,” Magnus observed.

 

“Yeah, I’ve got it fucking bad,” Taako groused, pulling his knees up and wrapping his arms around them.

 

“I can’t believe you’re actually pursuing him,” Lucretia offered, “It seems incredibly dangerous, and also, like really fucking dumb.”

 

“Thanks, Luce,” Taako groaned, checking Kravitz’s super sweet reply and flushing. His blood didn’t really pump in normal ways, at this point, but it’d still go to the places he needed it to. Even if he didn’t exactly  _ want _ to be blushing or, well. Yeah.

 

Magnus jostled him a little, “So he likes you, too?”

 

Taako grumbled something affirmative as Lup elbowed him and laughed.

 

“If you haven’t eaten him yet, I bet you’ll be just fine making out with him, Koko. It’ll be fine!”

 

“That’s Taako, Mr. Self Control,” Magnus giggled.

 

“He’s never done an impulsive thing in his life,” Lucretia hadn’t even looked up from her paper this time.

 

 

Taako let them rib him a little longer before retreating to his room to brood in peace, and to text Kravitz some more. He was feeling a little better. He’d managed not to do anything too, too regretful at Kravitz’s house. He hadn’t gotten permission to go inside, so he couldn’t follow through with his (admittedly, creepy) plan to sneak in and watch Kravitz sleep. So that was a bust, but everything else… wasn’t that bad.

 

He sent a few apologetic and sappy messages. Hopeful about their relationship. Taako wouldn’t admit to his family that he was lonely as fuck, socially. He loved them, of course he did, but like. He only really knew six people at this point. The only family he and Lup had had before being changed wasn’t worth knowing. And now he had someone new and interesting to discover things about. He had Kravitz to fixate on.

 

But he had to moderate it.

 

He knew that, but it was difficult. Kravitz sent him a few messages that confirmed the sentiment: they needed to pump the brakes a little. Taako whined into a pillow.

 

Kravitz’s lips had felt  _ so warm _ against his cheek, though, was the thing.

 

He wanted to feel that against any and every part of him. Wanted to know the noises Kravitz made when he was having fun, when he got off. He sighed.

 

He needed advice. He didn’t want advice, but he  _ needed _ it.

 

And Merle was the only one in the house who might be able to give it. He waited in his room until he felt a wave of  _ joy  _ roll off of Merle from across the house. Taako knew he couldn’t really get away with subtle, but crossed out of his room to the kitchen. Thankfully, neither his sister nor their peers were here. Just Merle.

 

“Got something on your mind, kiddo?”

 

The kitchen was mostly just for show: it didn’t do to not have even a microwave, if someone who wasn’t a vampire came over. And they did need a sink for washing hands, even if they weren’t going to get sick over anything, ever.

 

“You could say that,” Taako drawled, leaning on a counter.

 

Merle was pouring himself a drink, which. Gross. It also wouldn’t even effect the dwarf, as far as Taako could tell. And anything that wasn’t blood just tasted mostly like dirt. So Merle was some kind of a masochist, but what else was new.

 

“So there’s this boy, and I like him, and uh. He’s not a vampire.”

 

“Mm,” Merle hummed, sipping at his nasty drink.

 

“And, uh, I just thought I’d ask like… what you did. To deal with that.”

 

Taako didn’t make eye contact, just staring at his arms against the counter. He might have made a mistake in even asking, or bringing up this situation to their technical-leader. Merle was the oldest of them, but not necessarily the wisest.

 

“Well, what I did didn’t end badly, I guess. So we have that going for us,” Merle mused. “Do you want the part where I pined after Davenport for years out at sea, or the part where the ship started to sink and I panicked and bit him?”

 

“Didn’t you also run the fuck away after biting him?” Taako asked, smiling in spite of himself.

 

“I definitely also did that. We didn’t even really speak before he found me again, new and scared. You know what he told me?”

 

“Something about waking up at the bottom of the ocean and not needing to breathe.”

 

“That’s right! He was so pissed at me. Said something about how I could’ve probably made a move without taking his mortal soul away from him, or whatever. Anyway. So what was your question?”

 

“You’re useless to me,” Taako announced. “Nobody in this house is helpful.”

 

But secretly, he’d probably have to go ask Davenport how he felt about that whole thing. If he regretted it. Because Taako knew that he wouldn’t change a thing about how he’d turned, wouldn’t ever regret being able to stay with Lup, but. If it hadn’t been for Lup, he never would’ve chosen this life. He probably wouldn’t have the heart to do it to Kravitz, to turn him and keep him forever.

 

Which could put a damper on the whole… thing. He wasn’t sure how smart it was to try and date a human. And he didn’t think he could turn Kravitz. So he’d have to just wait and see. Or something.

 

Taako ruffled Merle’s hair because he could, as he went back to the living room. Somebody had lit the fireplace. It felt nice to be close to it, so he curled up in front of it, pulling out his phone again.

 

...Taako:  _ hey um. its cool if especially after today this sounds too fast but _

 

...Taako:  _ do you wanna go out with me sometime maybe ??? _

 

He sprawled on the rug in front of the hearth and waited for his phone to go off again. It took a little while. Taako thought about what he knew about vampires and biting. In theory, he should know a lot.

 

There was just one way to become a vampire, of course. But more than one way to bite somebody. He wouldn’t know, of course, about the biting somebody part. He’d been very good about not committing any murders. But there were ways to do it without killing or turning anybody, something to do with intent and venom and endorphins… He hadn’t really liked the conversation he’d had to sit through for that one. A lot of gross winking from Merle. As if he had any experience  _ sexually biting anybody _ . Merle had turned most of them. Everyone except Lucretia and Barry. So Merle definitely knew about turning somebody into a vampire, definitely was a reputable source on that information, but, uh.

 

Taako didn’t think it was wise to try and jump into biting Kravitz for fun, regardless of if the safe-biting and good-times things were true or not. But he kind of hoped they were. Was there a google but just for vampires that he could fuckin’... look this stuff up on? He was sick of asking his family.

 

Then again, most of the rest of their kind wasn’t really very friendly. He couldn’t imagine someone who lived off of people having a fling with a human and not killing them. Was a thrall a thing? He rolled over and tried to remember what that even was. It might be a bullshit fake thing, like the mirrors. Taako could see himself just fine in a mirror, he chose to dress that way, thanks.

 

He looked at his phone again, thoughtful. Kravitz still didn’t know about anything. If he told Kravitz the truth and it didn’t go well, he’d have to leave. They’d all have to leave. Or they’d have to kill Kravitz. People weren’t allowed to just… know. There were, Taako was told, fuckin  _ vampire laws _ about that kind of thing.

 

The phone buzzed.

 

Hot Boy:  _ I feel like there’s a lot I don’t know about you still. And I want to learn. _

 

Taako thought that sounded a little ominous. He sent Kravitz another photo of a sketch, something safe. A bird. He’d seen it from a few hundred meters away, clear enough to get all of the feathers in the right places.

 

...Taako:  _ you say that now _

  
...Taako:  _ tbh im looking forward to knowing you too _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (lol i hit post early but u know what? it's fine haha)
> 
> probably still wont be able to daily update for a lil while, although im on ch14 now so i do have buffer. . . . . expect the Super Exciting chapter 10 by the end of this week for sure though ;)
> 
> have a good day and i love u <3


	9. NINE

Kravitz came to his various classes on Monday, happier for a nice Sunday of less creepy messages from Taako. He’d gotten a whole backlog of beautiful little sketches all day. Taako was very talented. He said he’d gotten tips from his other sister, not Lup, and that made Kravitz smile. He wanted to learn more about Taako’s family, too, but it seemed like it’d be slow-going.

 

He went to sit in his usual spot, after pretending not to watch Taako and Magnus in the quad again. It was only a matter of time before he’d go sit with them, but this time he’d paid better attention to the beginning: when they sat down, they didn’t have any food. They just pulled out their accessories, the things that made it look like they’d eaten, and sat there.

 

So, another tick in the  _ Maybe Vampires Are Real and I Want to Date One  _ category. He was getting a little nervous about that, but less so after the pleasant chatting they’d done all of Sunday.

 

Taako came to sit beside him again, this time with an actual sketchbook, instead of loose copy paper.

 

“Do you ever pay attention in class?” Kravitz asked in greeting.

 

Taako grinned and shook his head, “I’m listening! I just don’t need to take notes. Natural genius or whatever.”

 

“Uh-huh,” Kravitz said, skeptical. Taako turned to face him in the little lecture hall seat. A radical feat, considering the amount of space in the chair. He had his knees hunched up and feet wedged against the armrest. His whole body was facing Kravitz. “What’s happening, here?” Kravitz asked, waking his laptop up.

 

“Drawing you. If you aren’t going to look at me anyway, I thought I’d get a nice profile out of you.”

 

Kravitz blushed, turning away from Taako and back to his computer. His gaze was already intense, but knowing that he was going to stare for the entire lecture… he couldn’t imagine the professor was happy about this, actually, but none of the TAs seemed that concerned.

 

He heard the careful, soft scritching of charcoal, and pastel, and did his best to take good notes. But it was difficult when he was hyper-aware of every twitch of his face. He glanced to the side at one point and saw Taako’s brows furrowed, his tongue poking out in concentration. Kravitz’s chest warmed with affection.

 

Taako was  _ so weird _ . He was so beautiful and made Kravitz laugh and, right, he might be some kind of supernatural monster, but he was  _ cute. _

 

Kravitz didn’t get very good notes from that lecture. At this rate, he’d have to ask Taako to not sit right beside him: what was the point in coming to class if all he was really going to do was be distracted by this ridiculous elf?

 

“Can I see?” Kravitz asked, when class had ended. Taako hadn’t moved from his curled up position in the chair, but started to tidy up his little box of pastels.

 

“Let me live,” Taako groaned, starting to close the sketchbook, and then pausing like he remembered something. He took a picture of whatever he’d drawn.

 

“Come on, if you draw a picture of me for an hour, I want to see it. I’m sure it looks great.”

 

“Of course it does, it’s of you,” Taako mumbled, still facing Kravitz. He didn’t make eye contact, though. He sighed and lifted the sketchbook, turning it around so that Kravitz could see.

 

The portrait, and it definitely was a portrait, rather than some doodle or sketch, was gorgeous. He almost didn’t believe that was his own face, except that it definitely was him. Taako was flushed red to the ears.

 

 

“I can’t believe that’s me,” Kravitz said, anyway, carefully lifting the book from Taako’s hands. Taako hid his face against his knees, and it made Kravitz smile, “You really never took classes or anything?”

 

“My sister… not Lup, the other one, Lucretia… she’s really good at shit like this. I’m a bad study, but uh. I’ve had some time to practice.” His voice was muffled, but Kravitz understood well enough. He folded his computer and set everything aside so he could get out of his desk.

 

“I’d ask why you did that, but, well.” He crouched beside Taako’s chair, catching the way Taako’s eyes opened to meet his from between his arms.

 

“You did say we should slow down, bubala. I don’t think you’d like the answer if you asked  _ why.” _ Taako carefully, deliberately turned and unfurled himself from the chair. Kravitz stood aside to let Taako up.

 

“I’m still trying to figure out why I said anything about going slow,” Kravitz admitted, placing a tentative hand on Taako’s shoulder. At this point, nobody else was in the lecture hall anymore. Another class would probably start filing in after a while, but they had a minute. Taako was looking at Kravitz’s hand like it might burn him, but he didn’t move.

 

Taako lifted his gaze, “Um, hey, I’m.”

 

“I know it’ll be cold and weird,” Kravitz offered, hand still gentle on Taako’s shoulder. He wasn’t trying to pin him or keep him there. Taako looked so lost.

 

“Y-yeah, alright, as long as you know,” Taako managed, taking a steading breath before leaning in to close the distance between them.

 

 

It  _ was _ cold, and weird, and Kravitz hadn’t imagined getting to kiss Taako like this weeks ago, when he’d first fantasized about doing it. He hadn’t known anything other than wanting to do it. Taako made an urgent noise against his mouth and Kravitz licked the seam of Taako’s lips. Was he cold inside, too?

 

Taako stubbornly didn’t open up, and when Kravitz pulled away to breathe, Taako looked like he might bolt again.

 

“Please don’t run,” Kravitz said, breathless, his other hand resting against Taako’s neck. Taako’s hands had made their way to Kravitz’s chest.

 

“I won’t, just. We should probably talk.” Taako said, leaning into him briefly. He kissed Kravitz again, short and sweet, and pulled away to pack up his things. Kravitz stood there dumbly for a minute before doing the same.

 

Kravitz followed Taako out and to the tree, sitting against it. Taako leaned into his side and Kravitz did his very best not to overreact to this closeness.

 

“So we were gonna have a date? I feel like I could maybe…  _ maybe  _ explain some things. On that date.” Taako said. “If you knew about the cold and weird beforehand, we… yeah I need to explain.”

 

“I didn’t hate it,” Kravitz said carefully, wrapping his arm around Taako’s shoulders. “I do have some questions, though.” He noticed that Taako’s ears were a little warmer than the rest of him, one of them was touching his neck. “Where are we going to go, for this date?”

 

“Not dinner,” Taako decided, “And, uh, if we’re talking, not a movie.”

 

“Maybe you can show me those flowers near your house?”

 

“You want to go out into the woods with me, alone?” Taako laughed, “Oh, Kravitz. That’s. A bad idea, but… I think I can handle it. Okay.”

 

“Mm, I think you can handle it. I don’t know what there is to handle, but I trust you.”

 

“You really shouldn’t,” Taako murmured into his shoulder.

 

They sat in silence for a minute, Kravitz absently trying to rub some warmth into Taako’s shoulder. It didn’t seem to be working, but maybe if they weren’t outside.

 

“You should bring your sketchbook,” Kravitz said.

 

“Oh? And what are you going to do, if I sit down and draw in the middle of our date.”

 

“I’ll watch you draw, this time,” Kravitz hummed. He wanted to see the process. He felt like, in the brief time he’d been in this art history class, he’d learned something of how the  _ old masters _ worked. He wanted to see how good Taako was with is own eyes. He’d seen the blank page before class had started, and he’d seen the end product, rendered and complete and beautiful.

 

“That doesn’t seem like a fair exchange,” Taako complained, “Don’t you do music stuff? If we’re gonna go be cute, fuckin hopefully, out in the forest… you gotta do something cute too.”

 

“I don’t have any of my instruments with me… do you want me to sing for you?”

 

Taako pulled away to stare at him, and then nodded emphatically,  _ “Yes,  _ what the  _ hell _ kind of question is that, of course I want to hear you sing.”

 

“Mm, I guess that’s more fair.”

 

“I’ll say,” Taako grinned, already perking up. Kravitz smiled back, indulgent. He was going to learn what Taako’s whole situation was, and, well. If he was right, if this whole thing was some kind of monster story that he hadn’t realized was possible, then… it didn’t mean the end of it.

 

Taako wanted him to sing, and gods, Kravitz wanted to sing for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID I FORGET TO MENTION THAT CHAPTER NINE IS ALSO LIT? not as lit as the next one tho lol
> 
> taako being the one with the cold and weird kisses still makes me laugh guys
> 
> see y'all later, i love u <3


	10. TEN

Taako dressed up cute. He was always bad at judging how warm or cold he ought to be dressing for, the thermometer outside their house was more for decoration than anything. He could tell when things were a little warmer, but ultimately it didn’t make much of a difference.

 

So far there was only one thing in this undead life that had made him feel truly  _ warm _ , and he was going to see Kravitz again today. Maybe he’d be lucky enough to feel the heat of his lips again. He’d had to do some careful questioning of various parties in the house to make sure… that it was okay for Kravitz to stick his tongue in Taako’s mouth.

 

His teeth were sharp, and with reason, but it wasn’t going to instantly do anything if there wasn’t any intent to bite, was what he’d learned. Taako would still be very careful, though, since… he didn’t know what he’d do if Kravitz nicked his tongue on Taako’s teeth. The blood, in his mouth?

 

He’d just have to be careful.

 

Kravitz pulled up in his hearse, which never failed to make Taako want to laugh. He was getting more used to seeing it, but it was still very, very silly looking.

 

“Sorry to be late, I ironed my shirt,” Kravitz said, looking embarrassed. “I couldn’t figure out where the ironing board was, it was a whole thing.”

 

“I appreciate your efforts,” Taako said primly, giving Kravitz a full head-to-toe appreciative look-over. He felt a warm wave of  _ pride _ and  _ flustered _ wash over him from Kravitz. He was so cute. Taako stepped closer and pulled him into a soft kiss. He knew it had to feel weird and gross to Kravitz, there was no way making out with an ice cube could feel good, but. From Taako’s perspective, it was like holding a flame. Warm and bright and full of so much joy. He could feel the affection in Kravitz, wasn’t as scared when it echoed back through him.

 

“You look really good, too,” Kravitz huffed against his lips when they’d parted. Taako was going to have to work on pulling away a little sooner. Krav always seemed out of breath when they stopped, and Taako didn’t need to breathe. That, or, well. Maybe it could be fun to play with that.

 

“Thanks, babe,” he hummed, stepping away to pick up his picnic basket. Obviously, Taako was not going to eat. But Kravitz would probably get hungry before they were done, if he didn’t run the fuck away like a normal person. Either way, Kravitz would eat and not question why Taako didn’t (because he’d know what Taako was), or he’d not eat because he’d be driving as far and as fast as possible.

 

Taako took his hand and lead him around the garage, to a trail that was barely noticeable between the trees. He and his family did a lot of leaping through the forest, so there usually wasn’t much need to slow down and stamp a path through the dirt. Kravitz carefully followed his lead. It figured that this nerd didn’t have much outdoorsy skill. It was cute that he held tight to Taako’s hand like a lifeline.

 

They walked for a while, and Taako knew that out here, there really wasn’t any cell coverage. This was what he’d meant about it being stupid to come out here alone. But now he smelled Kravitz and thought… maybe not love, but definitely  _ attraction _ more than  _ hunger. _ It was a little easier to imagine being in control. He didn’t want Kravitz to get hurt, he cared too much already.

 

He sensed Kravitz’s awe before he heard anything, and what Kravitz said was just, “Wow. No wonder… you come up here.” The field was all abloom with blue and purple flowers. Most of them were pretty small, but they were numerous enough to make the whole place smell and look nice.

 

“It usually wouldn’t take me so long to walk up,” Taako started, leading Kravitz to the center. Sometimes the sun shone down here, but he didn’t think he’d be that lucky today. To show off his skin was probably the quickest way to demonstrate his condition.

 

“I did notice that you were fast,” Kravitz said, sensing the change in topic.

 

“What else did you notice?” Taako asked.

 

“Mm, the cold skin,” Kravitz squeezed his hand again. Taako flinched a little, “But also… your eyes. They change. Today they’re gold again, but a few days ago they were black. And… well.”

 

“Did you try to figure it out?” Taako rubbed his thumb across Kravitz’s knuckles.

 

“I’d hate to say it and be wrong. You’ll laugh.”

 

“I don’t think you’ll be wrong,” Taako sighed, “I’m not great at keeping this secret, turns out.”

 

“So you’re really a vampire? Vampires are real?” Taako felt himself tense, but all he could sense from Kravitz was curiosity. Bravery. He could feel interest, and maybe concern, but not fear.

 

Kravitz  _ should be afraid _ , was the thing.

 

“Y-yeah, got it in one. Thoughts?”

 

Kravitz looked at him, and Taako averted his eyes after a minute. Kravitz hadn’t let go of his hand, and he was so warm and soft. Taako didn’t deserve this kindness.

 

“I’d already figured it out before we kissed, and… as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t change anything about how I feel about you.”

 

Taako felt something prick the corner of his eye, and blinked. He didn’t think… he didn’t think he was capable of crying, and yet here he was. Kravitz reached up to wipe it away before it could fall. Taako stared at him like he was crazy.

 

“You’re… you’re not scared at all.”

 

“I figure you would’ve killed me already, if you were going to.”

 

Taako laughed, thin and strained, “God, Krav, your blood smells so good to me. I had to get away from you. It was a real close thing.”

 

“What changed?” Kravitz was holding his face, not letting him turn away. Taako couldn’t be held in place by a car on top of him, but here and now, Kravitz’s warm hand had him pinned.

 

“I didn’t want you to die. I, um… I can tell. How people feel? It’s invasive and gross, honestly, but. From day one I knew you liked me, and it was just…”

 

“Oh.”

 

“It’s a lot,” Taako sighed. “This, in general, is a lot. And I get it if you need some space,” he forged on as Kravitz started to break in, “But I need to show you something. It’ll be faster if I pick you up?”

 

A curl of  _ anticipation _ snaked between them, and Taako laughed, “You’re too cute. I’m an apex predator and you’re excited that I’m going to carry you. What the hell is wrong with you?”

 

“Look, I’m not going to kinkshame you, you don’t get to kinkshame me,” Kravitz said, stepping back with a hand on his hip. “Feel free to pick me up.”

 

Taako snorted, rearranged his clothes a little, and then moved in to scoop Kravitz up bridal-style. Kravitz leaned in to kiss his jaw and Taako rolled his eyes, “This is ridiculous. Okay, I’m gonna run, uh. Very fast. You might wanna close your eyes.”

 

Kravitz nodded, wrapping an arm around Taako’s shoulder for stability. As if Taako could ever drop him on accident. He couldn’t think of something more precious to hold onto.

 

He took off slow, slow for a vampire anyway, just to make sure Kravitz understood what he meant by  _ fast _ . When he was sure that Krav had his eyes closed as requested, he picked up the pace, darting up through the forest, and up and up, until they broke through the cloud cover. The hill was tall, it sheltered their property and tended to have an okay deer population for most of the year. Taako loved to be up where the sun could actually shine on him, wished that he didn’t have to be in the shade all the time.

 

He slowed to a stop, careful not to come to rest too quickly. Kravitz opened an eye and looked up at him. They were still shaded by trees, here, but he imagined that the difference was still stark. The way Kravitz was looking at him said that he could already see where this was going.

 

Taako gently set Kravitz down, “You need to see what I really am. Mm, I’d go grab a deer and show off the chompers, but I just ate like… two days ago.”

 

“I believe you, without having to see you do that.”

 

“Right, but, like. Look,” Taako pulled his hair back, stepping out of the shadows and toward the light. He didn’t look at Kravitz. He did look at his own hands, held out an ankle so that as much skin as possible would catch the light.

 

 

It was beautiful, and terrible. It was the skin of someone who had to kill to live.

 

“You’re beautiful,” Kravitz said, softly. Taako turned to face him, chewing his lip.

 

“It’s the skin of a killer, Kravitz. It’s the skin of someone who should be dead.”

 

Kravitz shook his head, stepping in to meet him, “Look, I eat meat, too. You don’t kill  _ people, _ do you?”

 

“No, but I’m not… look, I’m not technically alive? It’s bullshit that I’m even here, Krav. I’m,” Taako pushed a hand through his hair. “I’m glad you’re into it but… you really shouldn’t be so excited.”

 

“Again, no kinkshaming,” Kravitz said seriously, and then extended a hand toward Taako’s, “Can I look at you?”

 

“Knock yourself out,” Taako said. He let Kravitz pull his hand up, watched him look it over. He ran a warm finger across his palm, which glittered much the same as the rest of him. Taako hadn’t, now that he thought about it, ever come out into the sun in the buff, but he guessed his dick would probably sparkle too.

 

It was good that Kravitz couldn’t read his thoughts.

 

He shivered, as Kravitz turned his hand over again and kissed a knuckle. “I don’t deserve you.”

 

“Who made you believe that?” Kravitz asked, lacing their fingers together.

 

“It’s just… Wow, it doesn’t matter how many times I say I’m a monster, does it.”

 

“It does not,” Kravitz snorted.

 

“The cold thing really doesn’t bother you?”

 

“It might in the winter. For a normal boy, I run cold. But space heaters are a thing.”

 

Taako laughed again and leaned in for a kiss, “You feel so warm to me. I never would’ve guessed that you’re a cold boy.”

 

“There’s a lot of things about me that you’ll get to learn, too,” Kravitz declared, and this time Taako let Kravitz deepen the kiss. He hoped he wasn’t going to have to be the responsible one, here, but then again… Kravitz’s emotions were all kicked up high, all thrill and arousal and amusement.

 

Taako pulled away so that Kravitz would  _ breathe _ already, smiling at how enthused he’d been. “C’mon, I made you a picnic down there, remember? You want a piggyback on the way back?”

 

“I liked having your arms around me better,” Kravitz said, clearly chasing his bliss. Taako laughed and scooped him up again. He went a little slower down the second time, enjoying holding Kravitz. He wasn’t sure why he’d been scared before. Kravitz was clearly at least half as crazy as Taako was. Maybe more.

 

He stopped right by their things, and leaned over to kiss Kravitz’s forehead.

 

“I’m not sure how much fun you’re going to have, just watching me, but there aren’t a lot of bugs here if you want to take a nap.”

 

“No way am I sleeping when I promised you a song,” Kravitz purred, tugging him down for a kiss. They got distracted for a minute, because Kravitz’s weight wasn’t anything at all for Taako, and Taako kept forgetting to pause and let Kravitz get a gasp of air in. They were going to have to get better about that. It was hard to remember.

 

Taako reluctantly sat him down, pushing the picnic basket toward Kravitz and unpacking his art supplies. He’d thought he might draw the flowers again, give Krav a drawing of them, but no. He needed to draw Kravitz, he couldn’t imagine a more perfect muse.

 

Kravitz opened up the basket, and Taako turned to face him, cross-legged since his skirt was long anyway. He thought they’d gotten a handle on kissing, but did not trust either of them to go further than that without some accidental injury to Krav. He didn’t care if Kravitz saw up his skirt incidentally, though.

 

He’d made lunch with, obviously, a human in mind. It included a couple of the things he already knew Kravitz liked from the other lunch, some hummus (homemade), a sliced apple. Some cookies, which Kravitz was shamelessly eating before anything else. He’d put together a nice sandwich and included a sealed tumbler of juice. He may have made a little too much food for just Kravitz, but he’d only packed what he thought was a reasonable amount. If he could, he’d definitely send Krav home with literally all of the leftovers.

 

He didn’t need food. But. Taako was happy to watch Kravitz having a good time with the food. He clearly remembered at least a little about cooking. It had been fun to go into the kitchen and not feel depressed. He’d gone to the grocery store and felt… like a person again, even if only for a few hours. He hadn’t even bought a perishable food in years. Their fridge usually had a few ill-gained IV bags of blood from the hospital (for emergencies), and that was it.

 

Taako sketched Kravitz’s cute face, trying to get a good expression down on paper. He did a few little studies, pausing to add in a flower here and there in the empty space. When he was done with the first page, he turned the book around to show Kravitz.

 

He smelled the blood flushing into Kravitz’s face and grinned, “Almost done? I’m not letting you get away without singing.”

 

“What if the singing thing was innuendo? Asking for a friend,” Kravitz joked, nibbling on an apple slice. He wasn’t exactly  _ embarrassed _ , Taako could tell, but he was nervous.

 

“My singing voice isn’t good, bubala, but I’d still sing anything to make you smile.”

 

“Too much,” Kravitz sputtered, flopping onto his back.

 

“Oh, now it’s too much? Not when we were talking about being undead sparkling monsters? And how that didn’t change how you felt about me? We’re gonna draw the line at me wanting to make you smile?”

 

Kravitz snorted and rolled to face Taako, patting the ground next to him. Taako laid down next to him, just far enough away that they could maybe still talk. But close enough that it wouldn’t take much to close the distance.

 

“How long have you been like this?” Kravitz asked, gentle and curious.

 

“It’s… we’re coming up on the big five-oh, babe. It’s been a while.”

 

“Oh. That’s not so bad. You could’ve been five hundred, for all I knew. So that makes you… what, seventy or so?”

 

“Almost exactly seventy,” Taako agreed, drawing his arm up to lay on it.

 

 

“Not any worse than if I was dating you and you weren’t a vampire,” Kravitz decided.

 

Taako bit his lip, “Right, but. I’ll never change. You’ll get old so fast, Krav.”

 

He watched Kravitz’s face. Tried to absorb enough of his feelings to figure out what he was thinking. It wasn’t like… it wasn’t a simple emotion. He couldn’t do it.

 

“What are you thinking?” Taako asked, reaching out to pluck at the hem of Kravitz’s shirt.

 

“Thinking that you’re being silly, maybe. That still would’ve happened if you were just a normal elf, you know.” There was something more to it.

 

“I could change you, maybe. But definitely not… not right away. And not if you didn’t want it. Forever is a real long fucking time.” The thought of Kravitz having golden eyes like his felt wrong, too. They should stay the pretty brown they were. Taako shifted off of his other arm, reaching to take one of Kravitz’s hands, put the palm flat against his chest. There wasn’t going to be a heartbeat.

 

He felt the brief spike of panic cut through Kravitz, and then it softened and disappeared.

 

“Can’t say I hate the general aesthetic of vampires,” Kravitz said, like that meant anything. Taako leaned in to kiss him, so he wouldn’t say anything more dumb and tempting.

 

“We can figure that out later. I think you’re already older than me, and… again, it wouldn’t matter.” Taako sighed against his lips. “So much for taking things slow. I’m sitting here, going on about being together for literal eternity. I promise, I like you the normal amount, this is just… logistics. The logistics of dating a vampire.”

 

Kravitz smiled at him. The positive feedback loop of Taako saying something dumb, and then Kravitz feeling affectionate, and then Taako feeling affectionate and saying something dumb… it was stupid but made him so happy. He rolled over to lie on top of Kravitz, folding his arms across Kravitz’s chest and resting his chin there.

 

 

“I like you a lot,” Kravitz grinned, “But yeah, no, I’m not committing just yet. We’re definitely boyfriends now, though. I’ve decided.”

 

Taako’s ears twitched upward, “I forgot we weren’t already.”

 

Kravitz twirled a lock of Taako’s hair around his finger, thoughtful. “I guess I know why you wanted me to invite you in the other day.”

 

“I wanted to be able to come watch you sleep,” Taako admitted with a wince.

 

“That’s terrible. Do  _ you _ sleep?”

 

“I don’t ever sleep,” Taako confirmed with a frown.

 

“You can come over and watch me sleep, but,” Kravitz held up his finger, letting Taako’s hair unfurl off of it, “Only if I know you’re there. No sneaking in without telling me. Got it?”

 

“That’s fair,” Taako allowed, shuffling up to kiss Kravitz’s chin.

 

“And I’m going to insist that you lie in the bed, at least the first time. I don’t think I could sleep with you sitting in a chair and staring at me all night.”

 

Taako scooted up a little higher to catch Kravitz’s lips and hummed an agreement against them.

 

“Now, lets hear that song,” Taako decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey here's your pOST CHAPTER TEN WARNING that next chapter has Some M Rated Content  
> so the rating of the fic is gonna change for chapter 11, and i will give parameters for skipping that content + tell you what you missed, if you skipped, at the end.
> 
> (if that makes you hype, _by all means, hype_ )
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this Vampire Secret Come Out chapter!!! i had fun doing the art even tho the one taako is kind of off-model for me, hehe. and lol the traditional-art one is one of the oldest drawings for this au so the designs have changed a little bit in the last few weeks (not too much, though)
> 
> i'm about halfway through chapter 15 rn, for a buffer-update. actually i wrote this author note ahead of time so maybe chapter 15 is finished by the time this goes up! a mystery.  
> have a lovely day and i love you!!


	11. ELEVEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO if you're skipping the sexy content, stop at _"I’d hate to hurt you on accident.”_ , and then you're safe again right at the end with _"But any uncertainty was replaced with warmth easily enough"_
> 
> yes if you click the pic you'll get a full pic but no there isn't really anything much showing in it lol

Kravitz went home with so many leftovers, and with more than a few flowers in his hair. A few had gotten there on accident, hazards of lying in a field of flowers. But then Taako had liked them and started artfully placing them behind his ears and in his braids. Taako was cute.

 

Taako was a fucking  _ vampire _ .

 

And Kravitz… genuinely wasn’t scared of him. Taako was this flighty, talented dork. He was charming and pretty and a mess. And Kravitz didn’t care that he couldn’t eat real food, that he had to go hunting for deer to get by. That he was cold to the touch.

 

He did like the part where Taako could carry him without any trouble at all, though. This was not a surprising revelation. Kravitz didn’t bother trying to get the flowers all out before flopping onto his bed. He could wash the sheets later if they made a mess.

 

Taako being super strong? It was a lot. Kravitz didn’t think it’d be much of a problem to be held up against a wall at some point. He didn’t think it’d be hard at all to wrap his legs around Taako’s waist and force him to carry Kravitz’s weight. He huffed out a laugh into the quiet of his room.

 

He texted Taako, even though he’d probably only been gone from the elf’s presence for an hour, at best.

 

My Hot Boy:  _ So is it too soon to call you over and take a nap on you? _

 

…Taako <3:  _ literally you dozed off on me earlier my dude _

 

....Taako <3:  _ but lol ill be right over if you want me there _

 

My Hot Boy:  _ Maybe in a little bit. Like if we wait a couple of hours, it’ll be nighttime, and that’s when boyfriends should come over to spend the night. _

 

...Taako <3:  _ fine ok ill wait _

 

...Taako <3:  _ even tho ur the one who bought it up lmao <3 _

 

Kravitz snorted and rolled over. He probably ought to shower. He wondered if Taako even sweated, or if he just smelled like whatever he put on himself. He’d cried, a little, before. And he definitely had saliva, Kravitz had been learning. He’d been careful around the teeth when making out, just as a precaution. Taako hadn’t said anything about that, but it seemed like a good idea to avoid cutting his tongue on a fang.

 

Kravitz got up to take that shower, carefully removing most of the flowers from his hair and changing into softer, warmer clothes. If he was going to potentially be snuggling with his very cold boyfriend later, he’d need all the layers he could get. Unfortunately.

 

This was a phenomenon he still needed to observe: Taako’s face could flush red, and would get warmer there. Still cold, not really warm at all, but. Warmer.

 

He was sure Taako had been trying to demonstrate a total lack of heartbeat, when he’d had his hand on the elf’s chest, but what he’d felt was a couple of very slow, very weak thuds.

 

Taako was definitely not… strictly alive. Kravitz didn’t know enough to dispute whether or not a vampire was undead. (Like, were zombies real, too? Werewolves?) But he did know that Taako might be able to warm up. Slowly. Feebly. Maybe.

 

Later he’d have to try and get Taako really worked up, just. As hot and bothered as a popsicle could get, and just keep at it. See if he couldn’t get him further from iceberg and closer to… pleasant.

 

Kravitz ate dinner and made pleasantries with his mother for a few minutes, and then went back to his room. He hadn’t actually planned for how to get Taako in without questions. Taako was super fast, so maybe Kravitz could take out the trash and just… Let Taako dart inside real quick? That was dumb.

 

He texted Taako to let him know to come over, even though the evening was still young. He knew that it was too soon to try and get anybody’s pants off, but that didn’t mean Kravitz wasn’t interested in trying. They’d been dating, officially, for about seven hours. Flirting for a week.

 

But they were young and Kravitz was horny and, well. He’d take what he could get.

 

Taako showed up fifteen minutes later, but hadn’t driven. Kravitz only knew he was there from a text saying so, and opened his window.

 

“Do you need to come in the front door?” He asked, quietly, “Or can you jump up here?”

 

Now, it was a more than eight-foot vertical leap, but Kravitz was certain that a vampire could manage such a feat.

 

“Need explicit permission, again,” Taako said, “But I can jump.”

 

“Taako, you’re allowed to come into my house, and especially allowed to jump into my bedroom window.”

 

Taako laughed and Kravitz pushed the window open all the way up, stepping out of the way. Taako came through gracefully, not crashing into anything or scrambling for a handhold. He was wearing pajamas, instead of the cute skirt from earlier.

 

“Did you run here? I didn’t see your car.”

 

“Didn’t think you were ready for a meet-the-parents thing so soon. Running takes about as long.” Taako sniffed, eyeing his nails. They were a new shade. Taako must have been killing time while he waited for the okay to come over.

 

“You were right,” Kravitz agreed, leaning in to kiss Taako’s cheek. Taako turned to catch his lips, and, wow. Kravitz wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to how weird and cold Taako was. But good? It made his own skin feel like it was on fire.

 

Kravitz pulled them down into bed after a few minutes, and, well. Nothing happened. Not nothing, they did make out, and that was nice. But Kravitz fell asleep facing Taako, tucked in close, with a blanket wrapped around them both, at all of eight in the evening. It had been an exhausting day.

 

He woke up early, much earlier than his alarm was set for, and was briefly confused. He had a breathing chest pressed up against his back.

 

Right. Taako.

 

He squirmed a little bit, and Taako snorted against his hair, “I can tell you’re awake before you even move. Your dreams are funny.”

 

“I thought it was emotions you read, not minds,” Kravitz hummed sleepily.

 

“Yeah, but turns out, you give off a lot of emotions in your dreams too.”

 

“Oh?” Kravitz rolled over, tucking his face into the cool skin of Taako’s neck.

 

“Some very horny stuff going on in there,” Taako laughed.

 

“I’m excited to get laid, eventually, now that I have a very cute boyfriend... Thought we might do something last night? My subconscious must have been rebelling,” Kravitz rolled his hip a little against Taako’s thigh. Taako’s arm around Kravitz’s back tightened just a little bit.

 

Kravitz kissed Taako’s neck, “Is that not allowed? Like vampires don’t get to fuck?”

 

Taako gently extricated himself from Kravitz, which seemed unnecessary. Kravitz pouted. Taako looked like he wanted to pout back.

 

“It’s not, uh. It’s not like that, I don’t think?” Taako said, looking very uncertain. “It’s more like… a danger thing. I think. Like I’ll lose control and break your bones and stuff. Or--”

 

“Or fuck too hard,” Kravitz snickered.

 

“I’m going to be real with you, Krav. The genuine Taako for a second.” Taako held out a finger, “I’m absolutely a virgin. Like I know how to jerk off and stuff, duh, but. I’m not sure how I’d be if we tried anything. I’d hate to hurt you on accident.”

 

Kravitz leaned forward and very slowly, very deliberately sucked Taako’s finger into his mouth. He watched Taako’s eyes widen as he ran his tongue down the cold thin length of it, pressing  the flat of his tongue against the pad of his fingertip before pulling off.

 

“There’s lots of ways we can have fun, if you’re scared of being too rough with me,” Kravitz said, glancing down to see if Taako was affected at all. It was good to see that his monster boyfriend could, in fact, get a boner.

 

Taako looked at him like he was crazy.

 

“I don’t… Like I want to, I super want to, babe, but.”

 

“We don’t have to do anything right now,” Kravitz sighed, rolling onto his back.

 

“Maybe I can just watch?” Kravitz glanced over at him at Taako, who winced. “That sounds bad, I just realized.”

 

“You want to watch me get off?” Kravitz hummed, watching Taako's throat bob as he swallowed. “Maybe if I get to watch you, too.”

 

Taako already had a hand halfway to his waistband before Kravitz was finished suggesting it. He smiled and tugged his own pajama pants down. He still had boxers on, because he felt like they needed that extra layer of ‘ _ hey, know what you’re getting _ ’ before he was naked, but Kravitz got the impression that Taako wouldn’t care less what was in his pants.

 

“So we wanted to avoid, what, broken bones? Bruises are okay, though, in my opinion,” Kravitz rubbed himself through his underwear idly, distracted by the way Taako was watching him.

 

“There is no way you’re real,” Taako whined, a hand in his pants. Kravitz rolled his hip against his hand, amused. He wanted to see what Taako was working with, but it wouldn’t really matter. He was certain that they’d figure something out.

 

Kravitz rolled into Taako’s space again, sliding his hand under his boxers and rubbing a circle into his clit. “We can make out while we jerk off, right?” Taako seemed amenable to that, licking into Kravitz’s mouth in a way that had him moaning.

 

He’d normally, really be using a little external vibrator. But with an actual person here with him, getting his pulse racing, Kravitz thought he might be able to come with just a hand. It’d be cool if it was Taako’s hand, but. Baby steps.

 

Kravitz impatiently tugged his boxers off. He had to pull away to breathe, and panted against Taako’s collarbone as he rocked against his palm. Taako still hadn’t pulled his pants down, and Kravitz thought he deserved a better handjob than whatever was happening down there, but. Maybe next time. He sucked at Taako’s neck, and then pulled back and was annoyed to find no mark to speak of. “Wish I could give you a hickey,” he mumbled. “Vampires don’t get those?”

 

Taako huffed against his ear, “I could probably give one of those. Gotta have more, ahh… long term exposure to you first, though.” Kravitz guessed it might be risky to let a vampire who thought he was tasty put his mouth on his neck.

 

[](https://i.imgur.com/YDKgrDH.jpg)   
[ _~~(click for full image ha ha)~~ _](https://i.imgur.com/YDKgrDH.jpg)

 

“Does it still feel good, though?” Kravitz asked, and then arched back with a little shock of pleasure. He wasn’t  _ quite  _ there yet.

 

“It feels fucking amazing,” Taako confirmed, “Fuck, every part of you is hot. In every sense.”

 

Kravitz would have laughed if he wasn’t busy coming, shuddering against Taako’s shoulder and then panting quietly as he came back down. Taako had stopped moving.

 

Kravitz rolled back just enough to make eye contact. “You’re not done, yet. C'mon.”

 

“I’m,” Taako started, blinking, “You’re just so good? I got distracted.”

 

“You gonna finish?” Kravitz asked, reaching over to play with Taako’s hair that was spilled across the pillow.

 

“Y-yeah,” Taako blushed, and finally pulled his pants down enough to get out. Kravitz was too blissed out to care that he was openly admiring his boyfriend’s dick. It was flushed pinker than Kravitz had ever seen Taako’s face. His thoughts about riling Taako up to get him warm seemed more and more likely.

 

He watched Taako gracelessly jerk himself off, bucking into his hand and stifling most of his noises. Kravitz wanted to hear them, but he guessed his mother was also home right now. Probably best to keep quiet since he’d snuck Taako in through the window.

 

Kravitz tugged Taako in for a kiss, sloppy on his end and urgent on Taako’s, and didn’t complain at all when Taako shifted and ground into his hip. It probably would bruise, but Kravitz wouldn’t mind. If he couldn’t have a hickey (and it wouldn’t show up that well anyway, if he did have one), he could at least have a dumb little hip bruise later.

 

Taako came with a violent little jerk, spilling across Kravitz’s hip and shirt. Kravitz wrinkled his nose down at that, and then kissed him again. Taako wasn’t even out of breath. Kravitz didn’t think he needed to breathe? He could think of a few practical applications for that. Later.

 

Kravitz shifted away enough to tug his shirt off, using it to wipe the come off his skin. He felt pretty naked, with nothing on and Taako still all in his pajamas (well, no, his dick was out).

 

But any uncertainty was replaced with warmth easily enough, as Taako grinned at him like he was something precious. Kravitz hadn’t really been worried about his body, but it was nice to know that Taako was into it.

 

“You still have a few hours, if you wanted to nap before your classes,” Taako said. Kravitz had noticed that it was still dark out. He wondered how Taako knew about his schedule, but remembered that Lup had unlocked his phone with zero difficulty before. Taako probably could, too. They’d have to talk about that later.

 

Kravitz pulled a sheet up around himself before scooting up against Taako again. Taako wrapped his arms around him obligingly.

 

He wasn’t as cold, after all of that, as Kravitz had expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HOW ABOUT THAT "TAKE IT SLOW" THING, BOYS?  
> in my outline, this chapter said "they talk about sex stuff but don't actually do it" so like. that got away from me, obviously.
> 
> what you missed if you skipped: nothing much! kravitz is a horny boy? also, nothing happened that y'all should expect a reneesme situation anytime soon, haha, don't worry (yet)
> 
> EDIT if the image link isn't working here is the full image link. cw for taako's clothed boner https://i.imgur.com/YDKgrDH.jpg
> 
> here's the sitch: im writing! yeah! camp nano and everything! and yet, i only have 16 chapters done! WHY???  
> because the chapters _got longer_. i played myself.
> 
> this fic is looking to be only like 20-22 chapters long? although it's hard to tell, with the longer chapters happening. but yeah. DO expect sequels etc tho, i've got a lot of plans. it's just that this first fic is only covering 'twilight,' not the other books. ;)
> 
> anyway have a nice day!! and i love u <3


	12. TWELVE

Taako realized, when he finally left to go home and get changed, that he was totally fucked. In a few too many ways.

 

It wasn’t just the sex thing, although that was definitely going to kick his ass in one way or another. It was also the… not… the L word but like, the Like thing? The thing where his dead heart felt like it might just up and start racing?

 

He wouldn’t have left Kravitz at all if Kravitz hadn’t asked him to please go home and let him go to school. Kravitz had woken up and kissed him some more and then tried to get up, but he was so naked and Taako didn’t want to let him up… he did let Kravitz get ready for classes, though. He was selfish, but Kravitz actually gave a shit about stuff like that, so he’d have to reign in the tendency to just keep Kravitz all to himself.

 

Taako took a shower and brushed out his hair before anybody could come and bother him, but then it was the double-threat of Lup and Lucretia standing outside the bathroom. They had matching knowing looks and Taako rolled his eyes.

 

“You stayed the night with him??” Lup asked, gaze too intense for Taako to hold eye contact with her, “I thought yesterday you were going on a date, what the hell, Koko?”

 

“Look, he likes me a lot too, alright? It’s mutual as fuck.”

 

“Does he  _ know _ , though?” Lucretia looked concerned. Taako glanced up and down the hallway, like someone couldn’t hear them across the house or show up out of nowhere, if he was unlucky.

 

“He knows and  _ still likes me _ .” Taako admitted, fidgeting with his hair.

 

Lup whistled, somewhere in between amazement and a fucking  _ wolf-whistle _ , and Taako leaned against the opposite wall. Whatever tiny weight there had been for not telling anybody in the two seconds he’d been home was lifted. He chewed his lip.

 

“If this goes bad, I’ll take care of it,” Lucretia said, quiet.

 

Taako frowned at her. “You mean, what, you’ll make him forget? Can you control it well enough not to hurt him?”

 

 

“Even if I can’t, it’d be better than us having to kill him, right?” Lucretia fidgeted. Her power was unpredictable at best. She couldn’t remember where she’d come from before joining their family, having made herself forget. Even now, nobody knew if it had been something terrible or something wonderful that she’d left behind.

 

“If anyone hurts him -” Taako started, and then bit his tongue. Nobody was threatening Kravitz. And these were his sisters. Lup more so, but Lucy still mattered. Still cared about him enough to want to keep him safe.

 

“Relax, Taako,” Lup murmured, “I’ll see if we can’t plan a good way to tell Dav about this. He’ll be home in a week or so, right? And you already talked to Merle before, so he won’t be surprised…”

 

“Whatever,” Taako agreed. Lup could take control of the situation, she was good at doing shit like that. It’d leave Taako more time to be with Kravitz and, um. Try to come up with more creative ways they could enjoy each other’s company. He was still pretty nervous about the concept of hurting Kravitz, but Kravitz hadn’t minded the dark bruise on his hip. Kravitz had been gross about it and pressed a thumb into it, like he wanted it to hurt a little.

 

Taako went to his room to mess around with his sketchbook. Somehow the drawings from the day before had made it out of the book and into Kravitz’s hands, so he didn’t have anything to show for the flowers or the cute boy in them.

 

Recreating the best sketch wouldn’t be the same, but would keep him busy for a little while.

 

He was still reeling, a little bit, honestly. Kravitz being into him: again, no longer a surprise. Kravitz being so physically excited by him? Sleepy and horny and warm?

 

Taako accidentally cracked his pencil for gripping it too hard, and then gently set it down. It wasn’t about to un-break, but he didn’t want to go through all of his stuff in a weird mood.

 

It wasn’t like… it wasn’t like there weren’t other ways to have sex. Taako didn’t need to be  _ in _ Kravitz, didn’t need to hurt him. But he could see the writing on the wall: Kravitz was probably going to want that, at some point, and Taako wasn’t sure what was safe, with that.

 

He erased a weird line on the page, deliberate and careful.

 

Maybe that was the trick: he was pretty good at pretending to be a person, he thought. Or at least getting the movement, the fake-breathing, the unnecessary blinking down. He could just… not move?

 

No, that sucked. He texted Kravitz.

 

...Taako <3:  _ hey im an idiot but what else is new _

 

...Taako <3:  _ how do you feel about oral _

 

My Hot Boy:  _ You have my interest. I’m in class, though. _

 

...Taako <3:  _ oh so youll text me back in class but u wont talk to me in one _

 

My Hot Boy:  _ Anyway, oral? I’m very positive about it. _

 

...Taako <3:  _ cool cool cool just wondering have a nice class !! _

 

He felt like he could trust his tongue better than he could trust the rest of him, was the thing. Like it betrayed him on a regular basis with the inane shit he said, but he didn’t think he’d break anything with it.

 

Taako wondered if he could get away with _ actually _ just lying there and watching Kravitz sleep, though. He’d kind of done it the night before, it was only in the morning that things got going. The other thing was that he wondered if like… if Kravitz would mind him staying over a lot?

 

The night was boring, usually. It was either for hunting or drawing or messing around on his phone or computer. Trying to follow along with some makeup tutorial video. Sometimes he’d even  _ read a book _ . Terrible.

 

Kravitz, though? Never boring. Not once so far had Taako gotten tired of being around him. Taako could lie there and know he was safe, and feel the emotions rolling off of him in his dreams, and it was as close as Taako might be able to get to sleeping. To feeling really, truly rested. It was a little sad to be jealous of the sleep his boyfriend was getting, but he so missed naps.

 

And maybe, in the morning, if Kravitz’s mom was gone already, Taako could cook him breakfast. Maybe he could even meet Kravitz’s mom at some point? And then it wouldn’t even have to be sneaky. Taako hadn’t ever talked to the chief of police, because for obvious reasons he didn’t want to look suspicious for any reason ever. But what was Chief Raven like? Was she cool?

 

Or, would she be upset that he’d only just started dating her son and they were already sharing a bed… that he wasn’t ever sleeping in (although she wouldn’t know that, obviously).

 

He’d thought they’d sort of talked through some of the logistics of vampire dating, but clearly he had not gotten through very much of that line of discussion before getting distracted.

  
Taako kept going down unrelated trains of thought and arriving at  _ warm lips _ and  _ pretty voice _ . Kravitz had sung for him, in the clearing, and it had been so nice. He’d had to promise not to interrupt, which had been difficult, and then impossible. It was almost like a siren song, pulling him in to want to kiss Kravitz over and over again. Taako couldn’t really explain that reaction, other than that it made him get fussed at for being a pest.  
  


And when he'd backed off and left Kravitz alone to sing, he'd had to sit on his hands to keep them to himself. He had it not just bad, but very bad, and like... Taako had never had something so exciting happen in his life. Kravitz was, quite possibly, more exciting than becoming an undead monster. Taako knew Kravitz would be in classes for hours yet, but pulled out his phone to text him anyway.  
  


When Kravitz texted him back a sparkling heart emoji, Taako almost had to go tell Lup what all had happened. This affection was almost too big to bear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> winks and scatters a few more bits of information for you all
> 
> thought it'd be nice to update today so i did  
> im very excited to see taz live this friday with friends and  
> i just thought i'd tell you that im excited!! here. lol author notes and diaries are the same thing right??
> 
> i love y'all!! sorry this chapter was a little shorter lol


	13. THIRTEEN

Kravitz parked the hearse in the back of the lot on campus, which was still the only place he could fit the damn thing. He was getting a lot better at maneuvering it at this point, but backing up into a parking spot was still a pain in the ass.

 

He got out to make sure he was in the lines, and then glanced up when something moved in his periphery.

 

A van, so close and heading toward him so fast that he didn’t have time to even inhale before he felt something hit him.

 

But Kravitz opened his eyes and, well. It wasn’t the van that had hit him, Taako was there, with a hand pressed deep into the crunched corner of the van. His other arm protectively curled around Kravitz.

 

Kravitz could hear his blood rushing in his ears.

 

Taako needed to get out of here before anybody noticed that he’d taken the full impact of a collision without a scratch on him. Kravitz looked back and realized that his silly hearse was entirely okay, too. And it was inside the lines.

 

Kravitz turned back to nudge Taako’s ear with his nose, “Did you have a plan for getting away from this situation?”

 

“Didn’t have time to think of anything,” Taako muttered, pulling his hand from the hole in the van. The driver stumbled out and said something incoherent. Probably drunk.

 

“Let’s get out of here, then?” Kravitz said, urgent. Taako hadn’t stopped holding him, and his grip was sturdy. Kravitz didn’t think he’d be able to break out of the hold if Taako didn’t let him.

 

“I feel like I should report this jackass,” Taako said, letting Kravitz move, “Maybe we could get your mom to come arrest him.”

 

“Is that how you want to meet her?” Kravitz laughed, adrenaline still pounding in his veins. “Hey I’m a totally normal elf who smashed a van, also I’m gonna be sneaking in through the window of your house to blow your son’s mind.”

 

Taako’s ears flushed red before anything else did, and Kravitz grinned, taking his hand, “C’mon, really. Someone will figure this out before I have to leave campus, right?”

 

“F-fine.” Taako let Kravitz lead him back across the parking lot. Kravitz could see the rest of Taako’s family watching from the other side of the quad.

 

“Are you going to get in trouble? For this?”

 

“Which part?”

 

“Well, either the dating me or the being publicly Very Strong thing seems like something you might get in trouble for.” Kravitz sat down on a bench, gently tugging Taako down to sit next to him.

 

“I don’t think I’m in trouble for dating you yet. But. There are, apparently, vampire laws about this stuff.”

 

“Didn’t do your research,” Kravitz commented, leaning into Taako’s cool shoulder.

 

“I never needed to worry about this stuff before you. My family mostly doesn’t mind, though. It’s not them I’d need to worry about.”

 

“If I don’t need to worry about them, can you tell me about them? I still don’t know most of the names,” Kravitz admitted, wondering if Taako would let him climb into his lap and kiss him. If they weren’t worried about being public now.

 

“Well, I know you've met Magnus, somehow,” Taako started, holding out a finger. “He's probably the strongest of us, physically… he got half-eaten by a bear, trying to wrestle it. We saved him, but only barely.”

 

Kravitz snickered at ‘barely.’ He scooted closer to play with Taako's hair. So far he'd never been asked to stop, so he imagined it was alright with the elf.

 

“And I think you talked to Lup, at some point… she and I are twins.”

 

“Oh, what a shock,” Kravitz hummed. “I would never have guessed.”

 

“Shut up, you wanted deets.”

 

“I do,” Kravitz agreed, tucking a strand of hair behind one of Taako's long ears. He nosed at the base of his ear affectionately. Kravitz wasn't sure how he'd ever thought he'd be able up stay away from Taako for months or a year. When they were near each other, he just wanted to touch Taako. He wondered, since Taako's hand was on his thigh, if that was mutual.

 

“Process of elimination should have told you Lucretia. She's the one who paints. Oh, I forgot, but everyone except Magnus and me are fucking nerds.”

 

Kravitz very much disagreed with the idea that Taako wasn't secretly a nerd about something or other, but kept his opinion to himself. “She didn't like me,” he remembered, instead.

 

Taako shook his head, “Lucy and Barry just want everyone to be safe. Barry is gonna love you for sure, he can't help it, but it might take a little longer for her to warm up to you. She's… honestly, the mess of emotions is hard to untangle,” Taako rubbed his thumb into the seam of Kravitz's pants. “But she's scared of us losing the tentative safety we’ve got here. If things broke bad with you, one way or another, we'd all have to up and leave. Maybe hide.”

 

Oh.

 

“I hadn't realized. I guess I trusted your willpower enough to not even think of the alternatives.” Kravitz did carefully insert himself into Taako's lap, now, and kissed his cold nose.

 

“Your self-destructive tendencies are going to be an issue at some point,” Taako said with a put-upon look, wrapping his arms around Kravitz's back.

 

Kravitz kissed him, gentle because they were not only in public, but also he had class in ten minutes and couldn’t afford to space out and just get lost in the feeling of Taako’s hands on his hips or his tongue in Kravitz’s mouth.

 

...He was a couple of minutes late to class.

 

-

 

Later he joined Taako and Magnus for lunch. Kravitz had had to set his phone to silent (not even vibrate, but silent) when he’d be in class, because Taako was blowing up his phone with cute emojis and stuff constantly. It was sweet, but he genuinely was going to school to learn. He wondered, absently, as he crossed the way over to Taako’s Tree, why Taako was even here. He really didn’t seem to be taking any of his classes seriously. He didn’t even seem to be taking very many classes.

 

Kravitz had packed his lunch again: the first couple of weeks, he’d tried eating on campus, but it had quickly started eating a hole in his pocket. He also still had some leftovers from his date with Taako. At least one of his messages was an offer to make him more food, which Kravitz was considering. His mother had definitely noticed the unfamiliar tupperware in their fridge, though, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to get away with not explaining where homemade food was coming from for long.

 

He probably needed to tell his mother that he had a boyfriend.

 

“What’s this?” Kravitz asked, sitting down on a blanket that had been laid out in Taako and Magnus’s usual spot. It had flowers on it.

 

“Just a totally normal lunch,” Magnus rolled his eyes. He only had a tiny corner of his thigh resting on the blanket, since he’d take up basically the whole thing if he sat entirely on it.

 

“Uh-huh, you never had a blanket, before. I know, as the dude who was watching you guys for weeks.”

 

“You told me it was _obvious_ that we weren’t eating,” Taako huffed. He was fiddling with a lunch bag. Kravitz eyed it with interest, pulling his out of his bag.

 

“Well, I’m not sure adding a picnic blanket is the way to go,” Kravitz smiled, setting out his food.

 

Taako pulled out a little container of brownies. Kravitz swallowed. He wanted to eat them more than he wanted to eat his food. Taako snickered.

 

Now that he knew about the emotions thing, he felt like he had to try and scold Taako for eavesdropping on his feelings. But he guessed it wasn’t so bad to have a boyfriend who knew, quite literally, how he felt about stuff.

 

“Stop nitpicking the picnic and I’ll let you have these,” Taako grinned.

 

Magnus rolled his eyes, “Stop being so cute, you two. I don’t know if I can hang out at _‘lunchtime,’”_ he did some air quotes, “If really you’re gonna be all flirty and weird.”

 

“You’re just jealous,” Taako stuck his tongue out. “Find yourself someone and they can come hang out at _‘ lunchtime,’_ _”_ again with the air quotes, “Too.”

 

Kravitz smiled and dug into his lunch, because he was a normal flesh boy who needed to eat to live. He didn’t miss the way that Taako watched him, looking all cute and pleased. He imagined Taako knew that this was leftover sandwich from before. Maybe Taako could smell the leftover hummus and leftover cookie, also. (Kravitz had already decided that he was going to eat both the cookie and Taako’s brownies.)

 

He listened as Magnus told them about his new, big idea. “I know I’m not allowed to join any sports classes anymore. The archery folks are already sick of me,” Magnus winked very obviously at Kravitz, like that was some kind of inside joke between the two of them. “ _But,_ that doesn’t mean I can’t play sports. I could start a club!”

 

“You’ll have to get people to sign a waiver,” Taako said, pointing at Magnus with a plastic fork, “Because they’ll _fucking die_ , Magnus, what part of the super strength thing are you not getting??”

 

“Look, I’m gonna get people to sign stuff, duh. But also, if I advertise it as like, a Hard Hits club, then nobody can get too mad if they break an arm or something.”

 

“The perfect crime,” Kravitz agreed.

 

Taako gave him a look. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to agree with Magnus, but Kravitz could choose his own side of an argument, thanks.

 

“Okay, so let’s say you make this sports club for idiots who want to die. How many dudes do you need for sports?”

 

“If I got just one we could do, like, tennis.” Magnus said, thoughtful. He started counting on his hands and telling them the various numbers of people you needed for other sports.

 

Kravitz tuned out and kept eating, tracing the edge of a flower on the blanket with his free hand. Eventually Taako reached over and walked his hand into Kravitz’s.

 

“Ugh, this really will suck. I hate this.” Magnus groaned.

 

“Nobody but Dav and Merle are in any kind of relationship, in our family,” Taako stage whispered, “And Davenport’s out of the house enough that we don’t have to see the PDA too much.” He turned to Magnus, “Nobody’s making you play third wheel. But you’re Krav’s friend, too, so don’t be a dick.”

 

“Right, but honestly, y’all made out on a bench earlier. Nobody asked for that.”

 

Kravitz snorted and scooted closer to Taako, intentionally trying to see if they could get Magnus’s eyebrows any lower.

 

Magnus, admirably, didn’t break and leave even once Kravitz had pulled Taako into his lap and started playing with his hair. He was a real champ.

 

 

-

 

Kravitz asked Taako, later in class, when the pastels came out again, “Have you ever done a self-portrait?”

 

“Why?” Taako frowned, already half-turned like he thought he was going to get away with drawing Kravitz every time.

 

“I want one of you,” Kravitz said. This was absolutely not an attempt to get Taako to focus on anything other than him for an hour. They were, so far, spectacularly bad at being slow or chill about anything. Kravitz had realized earlier that his mother wouldn’t expect him to be so all over Taako, the first time they met. But now that they were touching each other at all, it was magnetic. Like he couldn’t get enough of talking and touching and looking at Taako. There needed to be a break, he was sure, but like. Kravitz was having trouble finding the motivation.

 

Taako blushed and looked like he wanted to protest. Kravitz smiled, in a way that he hoped looked kind, and reached over to run a hand through Taako’s hair. It was soft, “I want to be able to take it home and put it on my wall.”

 

“Selfie would last longer,” Taako complained, but Kravitz could tell he was resigned to do it now. Sometimes it didn’t hurt to have a boyfriend who wanted him happy. He felt the same way about Taako, but, well. He was easy to mess with, and it was fun. Something satisfying in teasing an immortal and bloodthirsty being who mostly wanted to kiss you and hold you, Kravitz was learning.

 

“I’ll appreciate some selfies, too, but. I want to see how you see yourself.” Kravitz also owed Taako a few more cute photos, now. He’d have to dress up nice and see what he could put together. Luckily, Kravitz didn’t have many, if any, bad angles.

 

“I’m a very fucking pretty elf, what do you want from me?” Taako grumbled, but then the lecture was starting. Kravitz, blessedly got to actually pay attention this time. Mostly.

 

The colors he caught out of the corner of his eye were pretty, and not very fleshy. Lots of blues and pinks. Some yellow. It looked more opalescent and vague than humanoid, but Kravitz tried not to judge the work in progress. He was taking notes.

 

Taako kept sighing and carefully smudging things. Once, he took a selfie, shook his head, and then took another one. Kravitz guessed that it was maybe a little mean to ask Taako to draw himself without a mirror.

 

Class ended again and Kravitz set aside his laptop right away.

 

“I’m not done with it yet,” Taako said, immediately after Kravitz sat back up.

 

“That’s alright. I wouldn’t expect something finished that quickly, anyway,” Kravitz said, feeling very proud of himself for sounding smooth.

 

“Why is this harder than drawing you,” Taako mumbled, documenting the drawing on his phone (and not showing it to Kravitz, for whatever reason). “I should know my face better than yours.”

 

“Couldn’t say why. If I wanted to sing a song about me instead of singing a song about you, I’d probably be stumped, too.”

 

Kravitz watched Taako get lost in thought and felt a surge of affection warm his chest. He hoped Taako noticed it.

 

“I want to hear a song about me,” Taako said, finally, as he packed up.

 

“Oh, you’re flipping the script. You don’t want me to write a song about me, you want me to write one about you?”

 

“Well, listen,” Taako grinned, “I am but a simple elf, and I want to hear my boyfriend sing something sweet about me.”

 

“Maybe it won’t be sweet,” Kravitz hummed, “Maybe it’ll be… about how he’s a big dork weirdo.”

 

“You don’t get to call anybody a dork or a weirdo,” Taako said, holding open the lecture hall door for Kravitz. “You’re like the king of both of those things.”

 

“Not quite true, but hey, maybe we could joint-rule, one day.”

 

“Hachi machi.” Taako said, and then laughed, “We really are annoying. But I’ll tell you what, I’m super ready to test the patience of everyone around me.”

 

“Oh, absolutely,” Kravitz agreed, and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys i got  
> distracted
> 
> see: there was the liveshow in dallas, and that was basically a 4 day weekend of me meeting some of my favorite online friends and getting to hang out with them 24hrs a day (plus 10 hours of driving to get there and back)
> 
> lol this comment has been edited - redacted - and anyway now i am saying instead... hmm.. that mhuyo and i became sudden and close friends lol  
> at any rate i have... been pretty distracted for the last week or so haha
> 
> i'm going to TRY and prioritize writing to the end of this first fic this week. because there's only a few more chapters to write, and y'all have been pretty patient with me sort of spacing out and just writing weird smutty oneshots and stuff lmao... and im excited to get into the "new moon" of this story! yeahhh!!!
> 
> anyway. have a nice day!! i love u. <3


	14. FOURTEEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i'm back
> 
> mmmmild sexual content at the end of this one, starting at _"taako had [...] had his patience tested nightly"_

Taako wasn’t afraid of anybody, ever, in his undead life. Fact.

 

Except that he was still afraid of losing Kravitz (not so much afraid of a breakup, this was more of a paranoia-safety fear). And he was tangentially scared of Kravitz’s mom hating him, for whatever reason. But he wasn’t afraid of, like, getting shot.

 

He didn’t think Kravitz’s mom would shoot him, but she almost definitely had a gun somewhere in the house, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

 

“Hey, any of you fucks have any advice on meeting your boyfriend’s mom?”

 

The living room looked up at him. Lup shook her head, mercifully keeping some little jab to herself. Taako only knew because he felt a little twinge of  _ mean _ wisp off of her.

 

Magnus spoke up, “One time, I told a girl I liked her, and then cried. That’s all I’ve got.”

 

“I thought it was a boy,” Lucretia said, tapping her pen to her chin.

 

“To be fair, I also cried when I told a boy I liked him,” Magnus said, unbothered.

 

“Relatable, but not helpful,” Taako flopped onto the rug in front of the fireplace. He had a couple of hours to get dressed and go over to Kravitz’s place. He’d have time to make his hair all nice again if he rolled around on the floor for a few minutes.

 

“Barry dated, before,” Lucretia pointed out. Taako felt a little wave of  _ alarm _ pulse through Lup. She had to already know about Barry’s whole sitch, but Taako knew that she still got that dumb panic every time anything to do with Barry and the word  _ date _ came up.

 

Like, she had to know, right? That Barry loved her to death? In spite of their undeath?

 

Taako wasn’t about to fix their problems for them, but his life was sometimes actual hell with the pingpong of mutual pining going on between his sister and Dr. Barry Fucking Bluejeans. It was part of why he didn’t even feel bad about sneaking into Kravitz’s room to cuddle with him. The emotions sapping off of just one person (and, more quietly, Antinea Raven from across the house) was a lot more peaceful.

 

“I never met anybody’s mom, though,” Barry shook his head.

 

“Barry Bluejeans, serial bachelor,” Magnus laughed, like any of them had any better dating experience to speak of. Maybe Magnus just imagined he’d be better at dating than Barry, if he tried it.

 

“Okay, and we’re one-hundo percent certain that Merle never met Dav’s mom, right?”

 

Everyone went quiet and thoughtful. Taako rolled his eyes.

 

“I’m pretty sure not,” said Lucretia, who was most likely to remember shit like that. Taako took her word for it.

 

“Well, cool, this has been, once again, super helpful. Thanks.”

 

Taako hopped to his feet and went to shower. He didn’t really stink, since thankfully his sweat wasn’t super much or super smelly. But it didn’t do to be unwashed for meeting the mom.

 

He hadn’t asked yet where Kravitz’s dad was, and if he needed to meet him. He’d gotten the impression so far that Mom Raven was more important. He needed to get on her good side.

 

The plan, so far, involved cooking.

 

Taako wasn’t sure what he’d do at dinner, though. He was going to bring over a nice casserole he’d made earlier, something that would freeze and keep easily, and hopefully she wouldn’t point out that he wasn’t eating any of it. She was a cop, but maybe not, like, a detective.

 

He got dressed in simple clothes, for him. Still not dark colors, because he genuinely didn’t own more than like two dark shirts, but something relaxed. A collared shirt and sweater-vest, white pants, his hair neatly brushed and pulled into the most artful bun he could manage. Kravitz hadn’t said anything about how he should dress, but Taako didn’t want to show up in a flirty skirt with a shock of lipstick on. Even though Kravitz’s mom was clearly alright with gender role fuckery, it seemed like a little bit much for a first meeting.

 

Taako still had a few minutes to spare when he left the house and showed up at Kravitz’s place, and when he stepped out of the car he felt a little self-conscious about having taken  _ his _ car instead of one of the more discreet ones. But he wasn’t here to lie about what kind of person he was, he was here to  _ hopefully _ impress his boyfriend’s mom.

 

Even if Chief Antinea Raven didn’t like him, though, it wasn’t really going to stop him from wanting to be with Kravitz. He hoped that sentiment was mutual.

 

He rang the doorbell with his knee, hands full with the casserole and sides he’d brought for dinner. It might have been easier if he’d just cooked here, but then he’d probably have to think of cover stories and false truths while also cooking, and he was so out of practice with both things that it would’ve been a disaster. Like this, he could just focus on keeping his stories straight.

 

Like the one he and Kravitz had decided on, which was mostly true: they’d been dating for a week (officially), and had met in their art history class. They’d passed notes a few times before talking (not quite true, but Kravitz still had the doodles he’d left behind that time, Taako knew). They hadn’t kissed or anything, only been on one date (one of those things was patently untrue).

 

Taako wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep the naked affection off of his face when Kravitz smiled, though. It might be a little obvious that he was crazy about him. Surely a mom would be alright with that, though. Someone caring a lot for her son.

 

The door opened, and Taako had been able to tell that it wasn’t going to be Kravitz. He’d come to recognize, from across the house at night, the shape of Antinea’s emotions. Today she was a little tense, very skeptical. She gave him a look to match when she opened the door, looking him over, and then giving him a short smile.

 

“You must be Taako,” she said, and leaned over to take one of his burdens. He didn’t really need the help, being super strong, but he let her take a bag.

 

“Yep, that’s me, Taako,” he smiled awkwardly, waiting for her to step aside. The moment hung in the air, and then she did move to let him in.

 

“I haven’t heard much about you, from Kravitz,” she said, and again the biggest feeling she had was just  _ skepticism _ . Taako bristled a little at the idea that she didn’t think they were really dating.

 

Of course they were dating! They’d been on one date! It counted!

 

Kravitz came down the stairs in a rush as Taako set his bags down on the table, and then lit up immediately upon seeing Taako. Taako felt his own heart soar in response, not even trying to hide his big smile.

 

“I meant to come help you bring stuff in,” Kravitz started.

 

Taako shook his head, “I had it, no worries.”

 

The skepticism permeating a third of the space started to dissipate a little. Taako started unpacking the bags.

 

“So Kravitz  _ did _ tell me you cooked,” Raven said, going to the fridge for a beer.

 

“I do! Or, well. I guess I used to cook a lot more often… but I made lunch for Kravitz the other day and it reminded me how much I missed it.” He flashed a smile that he hoped was charming.

 

“You never cook for your family?” she asked. Taako had expected her to be intimidating, for any number of reasons, but weirdly… the fact that she was shorter than him was freaking him out. And then she sat down and was even further below him, and he struggled to find a good excuse.

 

“They were always rude about dinnertime, so I stopped rewarding them for bad behavior,” Taako decided, the shape of the lie weird in his mouth.

 

It seemed to work, though, since her lip quirked. Kravitz set the table for them while Taako unwrapped the food. He didn’t miss the way both mortals in the room perked up at the smell. He schooled his ears to stay in their perked position, because even though he’d cooked it and knew it would taste great for them, it still smelled  _ supremely unappetizing _ to him.

 

 

“We don’t even eat together, anymore, most days,” Taako sighed, his confidence a little bolstered as he passed Kravitz a serving spoon. He was not looking forward to inevitably having to put some of the casserole in his mouth, “Like I’ll grab one of them and go out to eat, but the dinner table? Basically untouched.”

 

“That’s a real shame, with a family as big as yours. Wonder why they wouldn’t get with the program?” 

 

“I love them, but honestly, I wouldn’t know.”

 

She hummed, unimpressed with that, probably. Everybody was served, and Taako gave himself a very small portion. He’d probably have to spit it back up later, his stomach really did not appreciate things other than blood.

 

Luckily, the two other people at the table were definitely appreciating it. He’d win Antinea Raven over with food even if she wasn’t immediately charmed by his looks and personality. It would work.

 

He wasn’t sure why it mattered so much to him that she liked him.

 

“Sorry, I’m not feeling super great. Nothing contagious or anything, just a stomach bug,” Taako said, after taking a perfunctory bite of food. It tasted like ash on his tongue. He really did feel ill, swallowing it down.

 

“Oh, what bad timing,” Kravitz said, just the right amount of concerned. Taako hadn’t been sure they were capable of acting this whole situation out without blowing their cover, “This is delicious, though. I wish you could enjoy it.”

 

“It really is a shame,” Raven murmured. Her plate was already emptied, and Taako could sense that she was thinking about another helping.

 

“I didn’t want you two to miss out, just because I wasn’t feeling well,” Taako waved a hand. He sipped lightly at the water he’d been given. It didn’t taste like anything, luckily. Washed the taste out of his mouth.

 

Taako found himself leaving with a wave an hour later, having helped package up the leftovers for easy reheating. He felt like he’d maybe gotten a little bit closer to Kravitz’s mom, even if she still didn’t seem to be taking this relationship seriously. She’d get the picture at some point, he guessed. Hopefully for good reasons.

 

He took the casserole dish and other assorted dirty dishes home and left them in the sink, changed his clothes into something comfortable, and started to leave.

 

“You’ve spent every night over there since the first one,” Lup said, appearing at his side, “You missed game night.”

 

“I’ve been to hundreds of game nights,” Taako frowned.

 

“I’m glad you’re having fun, but remember that there’s other people who care about you, too. I feel like I haven’t seen you in a week.”

 

That wasn’t true, since they’d carpooled to campus together all week, and definitely talked, but Taako didn’t argue. The sentiment was still true.

 

“Sorry. Guess I’m just excited to have a boyfriend,” Taako bumped his shoulder against hers. “Maybe you should take this free time opportunity to do something about your insufferable crush. You could, perhaps, also learn about the gift that is having a boy who wants to kiss you.”

 

“Gross,” Lup said, but Taako could feel a little anticipatory thrill waft off of her. Like he’d regret this if he had to hear his sister and Barry Fucking Bluejeans boning from across the house, but maybe the pining would stop if he could just… push them a little closer together… and also, like. They’d get off his case for being too touchy-feely with Kravitz, too, then.

 

He went back to Kravitz’s house, running quietly and quickly. What was something like a twenty minute drive, if you followed the speed limit, was more like a seven minute jog. Taako was certain he could get there quicker if he needed to, but there wasn’t any urgency here. He’d needed to give Kravitz and his mom potential time to gossip about him. Hopefully not argue about him.

 

Taako leapt up to Kravitz’s window, gently holding onto the frame of it as he tapped the glass. Kravitz got up from his desk to let him in.

 

“Hi,” Taako said, smoothly coming inside, “How was your evening?”

 

“Oh, not so bad. Very good dinner,” Kravitz laughed. “A cute boy was there, you would’ve liked him.” Kravitz kissed his nose.

 

“Well, if you were there, there was definitely a cute boy present.” Taako hummed, kissing Kravitz properly. Maybe a little too properly, considering they hadn’t closed the window yet. He remembered to pull away to let Kravitz breathe, and Kravitz flopped down on the bed. “Knocked the wind outta ya a little too early,” Taako observed.

 

He crawled up to lie beside Kravitz. He’d brought over a sketchbook and things to keep himself entertained if he got bored watching Kravitz sleep, but thus far he’d had an okay time just listening to him breathe. Smelling his blood in his veins, knowing that he was safe. It was maybe a little much, but very soothing and nice for Taako. He’d never been good at anything like  _ meditation _ , but he enjoyed the quiet reflection he found in the rise and fall of Kravitz’s chest.

 

It wasn’t bedtime just yet, though. Kravitz rolled over to kiss him again, once he’d found his breath, and Taako laughed against his lips.

 

“C’mon, we just did the meet-your-mom thing, we can’t be noisy enough that she comes to check on you,” he huffed, and then shivered as Kravitz nosed against one of Taako’s ear’s.

 

“Yeah, she’d definitely wonder how we pulled that off,” Kravitz snickered.

 

Taako had, in addition to having a good time just hanging out with Kravitz, had his patience tested nightly. He _knew_ Kravitz wanted to have sex. This seemed pretty self-evident, at this point. He was trying to figure out the safest and best way to manage this, but would get distracted and have to try and cool things down. For safety reasons.

 

Like, he was _pretty certain_ his semen wasn’t even semen anymore, at this point? It shouldn’t do anything, that wasn’t the safety part. It was still just a matter of positions.

 

“I could ride you?” Kravitz whispered, grinding a little against Taako’s hip from his position above.

 

“N-not tonight,” Taako managed, but only because it was all he could do not to move.

 

“Okay,” Kravitz said, and didn’t sigh or make Taako feel bad about it. Taako rolled them over so that he could give Kravitz at least the kisses he deserved. He wanted to give him everything else, too. In time.

 

Eventually, things were quieter, and Taako was beside his warm and good boyfriend in the dark. He said, “I guess maybe you should meet my family, too.”

 

“I’d like to,” Kravitz said, sleepy and content. “They’ll probably be family one day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _hey wow sorry to ghost, y'all_
> 
>  
> 
> those of you that i talk to regularly probably know that i've just been hella distracted with other fun things lately  
> sorry about that... i mean i already had this written, it just took me until literally today to color in the drawing for this chapter that i did half a sketchbook ago. _i knew the drawings would eventually slow me down lol_
> 
> other full disclosure: i haven't written much on this since last time, i just thought you deserved a chapter
> 
> instead, i've been........... rp-ing....... i made a discord for that and we're having a good time. anna and i wrote 25k of vampire smut garbage (not in the same vein as this fic lol) in like five days
> 
> there has been? some good content that is not fit for publishing. but if you wanna lurk just hit me up on tumblr etc  
> i also made a ko-fi in the time in between, if you've ever wanted to uh. give me money for whatever reason? i've heard that ao3 isn't big on ko-fi or patreon links so... i'm pepgold on there, and you can click my tumblr link to find a direct link to my kofi, also
> 
> thank you for being patient <3  
> have a great day

**Author's Note:**

> say hello and see the random taz art i'm drawing on [tumblr](http://pepgold.tumblr.com)


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